Angel Weeps No More
by Miriam Who
Summary: In 1986, after leaving Jackie's bachelorette party, Evangeline Tyler, stumbles upon a weeping angel. For years, Jackie believed her best mate/sister-in-law had been murdered after leaving the flat at the Powell Estate. What will happen when she learns what really happened to Eva? How will Rose react and what will the strange events mean for the Doctor?
1. Evangeline

**This fan fiction is based on the Doctor Who television series. Doctor Who is a trademark of the BBC. The stories from the television show and Doctor Who characters within are copyrighted by the BBC. The original character Eva is of my making. This story is written for the sole purpose of Doctor Who fans enjoyment.**

 **NOTE: Despite usually writing in American English, I'm _attempting_ to use the British English spelling in these stories. Thought it might keep me focused when I'm writing dialogue for characters who are British.**

 **Chapter 1 – Evangeline**

"Please!" Eva groaned and scrunched up her nose in disgust, "I don't even want to think about that!" As though trying to wash the very idea away, she lifted her martini glass to take a drink and frowned when she found it empty. She eyed it sceptically. Hadn't it just been full?

"Well, what do you think supposed to happen tomorrow night!" Sara laughed as she stumbled over to refill Eva's glass from the new martini shaker someone had given Jackie.

"I would like to remain blissfully unaware!"

Sara refilled Eva's martini glass. "Right. But you know very well if it weren't Pete you'd be dying to know. I'm sure!"

Eva closed her eyes and shook her head dramatically. "I've seen more of Pete than I've ever wanted to see."

"That's just because your mum used to bathe you together." Sara teased.

Eva rolled her eyes, "I just don't need to hear anything more about my brother's dangly bits."

"Well, it's not like it's anything new!" Jackie laughed and lifted her cup of tea in salute.

"Immaculate conception," Eva responded. "I refuse to consider that little Rose will take after Pete. He was an ugly kid."

"Oi!" Jackie frowned at her soon-to-be sister-in-law.

"Well, he was." Eva took another large drink of her martini and then raised it in emphases, "mum and dad were saving all the good genes up for me."

"Besides, Rose might be a Richard," Jackie reasoned, "and I find Pete rather handsome."

"Good thing someone does," Eva told her. "But that," she gestured to Jackie's slightly rounded stomach, "is a Rose. I just know it."

"Well, I'm glad you're so sure Aunty Eva because Pete and I've decided we want you to be Rose's… or Richard's godmother."

Eva's eyes widened, and she nearly dropped her martini glass. After a moment of dead silence, she cried, "But I'm not even through Uni! How could I take care of a kid!"

Jackie rolled her eyes, "Well it's not like we're plannin' on going anywhere anytime soon. Besides, I thought you liked kids?"

Eva nodded, "Well… yes… of course… but… Really?" Eva leant closer, suddenly feeling very sober. "You and Pete… you and Pete want me to be… Really?"

Jackie smiled softly, "Of course, who'd you think we'd ask?" She joked, "none of this lot." A general round of laughter mixed with feigned disappointment filled the room. Her tone became serious once more, "Besides, of course I'd want my best mate."

Eva nearly lost it. "That means a lot Jacks. A lot." She put down her martini glass and staggered over to hug her long-time friend.

"And, if we've got a Rose in here." Jackie pulled away from Eva and rubbed her stomach affectionately, "She'll be Rose Evangeline Tyler."

 **Two hours later.**

"You sure you're all right?" Jackie asked with concern evident in her voice. "You alright to take a cab? You could just stay here."

Eva waved Jackie off. "Of course. It's just down the way to the main road. I've already called for one." She was feeling much better, a bit of a headache, but she could at least walk relatively well.

Jackie frowned. "How bout I walk you down to the cab."

Eva rolled her eyes. "Fine, but don't worry so much. You need to get some sleep. We've got to be at the salon early." Eva giggled and smiled brightly. "Rise and shine!"

Jackie groaned. "Why did you have to make it for 9:30 anyway? The wedding's not until four."

"Best to get it over with. It always takes longer than you think and we've got to get all the way back here to get dressed."

Jackie nodded, though it was clear she didn't like the idea. She wasn't a morning person, and she had a feeling that Eva wouldn't be much of a morning person after the number of martinis she'd consumed.

"Come on then!" Jackie told her. "I'll walk ya down."

 **Five minutes later.**

"Could we drive by Willow Hills?" Eva asked the cab driver.

"Willow Hills?" The driver asked. "At this time of morning?"

Eva nodded. "Just need to speak with someone."

The driver frowned. He didn't like the idea of taking a young woman to some cemetery at this time of day. It was just askin' for trouble.

"Pay ya double and whatever it is while you wait. Just got to do this." She told the driver.

He considered her offer. She was already paying a rather nice fair. It would be a good deal of money. He could go home early.

"Fine."

Eva smiled brightly. "Thanks. My best mate and my brother are getting married tomorrow, and I'm going to be a godmother! Just wanted to share the news with mum and dad."

The driver let out a sigh and shook his head. He thought it was a ridiculous idea, but he wasn't going to turn down such a valuable fare.

 **An hour later.**

Eva stood up from where she'd been kneeling by a small monument dedicated to the lives of Maria and Edward Tyler.

"Well then, better be getting back home. Got to meet Jackie at the salon in…" Eva pressed the button to light up her Swatch. "Six hours." She smiled down at the stone before leaning down, giving the cold stone a short kiss. "Love ya mum. Love ya dad." She then turned to head back to where the cab was waiting.

Eva hadn't gotten far when she heard the sound of grinding stone. She turned towards the noise but didn't see anything. "Wierd." She shrugged and turned towards the road. Only seconds later she heard it once more. This time she was sure it was louder. She swung around to see what was making the noise. Nothing. She frowned, was someone playing some sort of game?

"Okay, very funny. You can come out now." She said to the dark, her brow furrowed. "I got someone waitin' on me so you better not be joking around." It was then she noticed a strange angel monument, its hands covering its eyes as though weeping.

"You weren't there before," she murmured with a hint of fear in her voice.

Nothing but silence greeted her. Perhaps she'd just overlooked it. She slowly turned towards the road, as though she was going to leave the cemetery. This time, instead of moving away, she immediately whirled back around and lunged forward in an attempt to scare whoever was playing games with her. However, instead of a person, she found herself crashing headfirst into the strange statue, her hands gripped tightly around its neck in a combined effort to keep herself from falling and to protect herself. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. She was sure the statue's hands no longer covered its face. She let out a scream upon seeing the horrific expression it displayed. Clearly, whatever it was, it wasn't an ordinary statue. All of this occurred in less than a blink, and before she could pull away, she felt her body falling forward, the weight of the statue, dragging her down, crashing onto the ground. The last thing she recalled was the feeling of her body crashing down upon hard stone and her face rubbing across one of the statue's rough wings. Her face would be a mess. The last thing heard, though the night air was the only witness, was the sound of Eva's cry, "Jackie's going to kill me."


	2. A Strange Reunion

**Chapter 2 – A Strange Reunion**

Eva groaned, rolled onto her side, and winced in pain. She brought one of her hands to her cheek and hissed; the skin was raw, and bits of what felt like very fine gravel was embedded into the topmost layer. She then brought both hands up to her eyes and carefully tried to rid herself of the dirt and grime. "I should have just stayed over at Jackie's," she moaned into her hands. She hated to think what Jackie would say when she arrived at the salon in the morning looking like she'd been in a pub fight. She felt horrible, not just the pain, but the guilt. She was going to ruin Jackie and Pete's wedding. She didn't need to look at her face to know it was very unlikely makeup would be able to hide the mess she'd made of herself completely.

She slowly tried to sit up, not bothering to hold back a series of moans and groans. It wasn't until she was completely erect that she realised she was no longer in the graveyard. She frowned and looked around, "How?" She'd been to visit her mum and dad. She was sure of it. Positive. She looked down and noticed she'd been lying in what appeared to be a blend of crushed stone, dirt and possibly ash. She lifted her hands to see that they were smeared with the dark mixture. Her hands dropped to her sides in frustration. More than likely her attempt to wipe the grime from her face had just spread it around.

In a slow and rather shaky motion, Eva tried to stand, using a nearby dumpster as a prop. Once she was relatively steady, she released her grip and looked around. It was evident she was in an alley in an urban area. And, it looked _vaguely_ familiar, though she couldn't quite place it. She shifted uneasily. Had the cabbie dropped her off here? She didn't recall how she'd ended up laying on the ground of an alley. The last thing she remembered was someone playing some sick joke with her in the cemetery. That angel. The last thing she recalled was jumping at what looked like a statue of an angel. She'd been convinced the thing had been following her. She shivered. "Lord! I'm never drinking that many martinis again." In truth, she didn't know how many she'd had.

She stepped away from the dumpster and into the center of the alleyway to get a better look at her surroundings. "Where am I?" She muttered to herself. It was clearly an estate of some sort, and it sorta reminded her of where Jackie and Pete had gotten their flat; however, it seemed older, dingier. It was then she saw Christmas lights hanging off some of the balconies of the building in front of her. "Christmas lights?" She rolled her eyes. It was only August, why would someone already have their Christmas lights up? She shrugged, she supposed they could be left over from last season, her second cousin Charlie never took the Christmas lights down from their house. Said it was just too much trouble when you were just going to turn around and put them back up the next year. Eva had always thought putting up the Christmas lights was all part of the holiday festivities, though, she supposed she'd never had to take them down from an entire house. She and Pete grew up on a council estate. There wasn't much to decorate. Still, Christmas lights in August just seemed odd to Eva; it wasn't like it took much effort to take down lights from a balcony.

She headed down the alleyway towards a more brightly lit area. It opened up into a drive lined on both sides with parking stalls. Again, she had the strange sense of familiarity. She looked ahead and stopped still. She _was_ at the Powell Estate. Jackie and Pete's building was just there. Eva frowned. It looked so different, so different than what she remembered, but so similar. "I've had far too much to drink." She shook her head and muttered to herself. Should she just get another cab and head back to her place? She was sure Jackie would already be asleep, and it would be rude to wake her up at this time of the night. There was so much to do in the morning. "What time is it anyway?" She glanced down at her watch and frowned. "Damn!" It was broken. It was in that same moment that she realised her purse was missing. She groaned and hurried back to where she'd woken up. It wasn't there. "This has to be an awful dream," she muttered to herself and let out an exasperated sigh. "There's nothing for it!" She'd have to wake Jackie up. She didn't have any money, and even if she did, she doubted she'd be able to hail a cab so early in the morning without phoning. And, even if she were to get home, her keys were gone. She just hoped that whoever had them didn't get the bright idea to rob her place.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Mum!" Rose called from the kitchen, "someone's at the door." She smiled at the Doctor who was helping her dry dishes. Though, helping was a relative term. He'd spent most of the time demonstrating his newly discovered juggling skills.

"Stop that!" She laughed and grabbed one of the dishes from his hands. "That's my Granny Tyler's favourite custard dish."

The Doctor pouted and tried to take it back from her. "Why did it have peanuts in it then?" The Doctor asked. "If it's a custard dish, shouldn't it have had custard in it?"

"Can you see my mum making custard?" Rose laughed.

The Doctor acknowledged she had a point.

Rose finished drying the custard dish and then started to dry the turkey platter.

Knock. Knock. Knock. "Hey, Jacks!" A voice called.

"Mum!" Rose called out in frustration.

"I'm coming; I'm coming." She passed by the kitchen with the phone in hand. "I was on the phone with cousin Mo. They had ash falling all the way in the Peak District."

The Doctor's face turned dark at the reminder of what Harriet Jones had done.

Eva shifted uneasily as she stood in front of Jackie's door. She'd heard some noise from inside just before she knocked, so at least she knew Jackie hadn't gone to bed yet. Though, she found it odd that Jackie would have company. Eva had been the last one to leave the party, and Jackie needed her sleep.

The door opened, and Eva began her apology immediately. "I'm sorry for showing up like this, but apparently, I shouldn't have…" It was then Eva got a good look at Jackie, "Good Lord Jacks, you look like you've aged a few decades in the last few hours! What are you still doing awake anyway?"

Eva was waiting for an answer, but Jackie glared at her and demanded in a shrill tone, "Who the hell are you?"

Eva frowned. "Who else would I be." She pushed past Jackie. "I know I look like hell. That cabbie must have just dumped me after I fell." Eva pulled her hair back from her face and was about to continue to explain; however, she was cut short when Jackie let loose a horrible scream.

Eva released a softer screech in reply and jumped back along the wall.

"You!" Jackie let out a gasping breath and then began to cry hysterically. "You!"

"Jacks?" Eva clutched the front of her chest and let out a sigh. What was Jacks on about? She tried to step forward, but Jackie stepped away from her.

"Stay away! You stay away!" Jackie began hyperventilating as she waved her hands as though shooing Eva away.

Eva was about to speak but was stopped short when two strangers came barreling around the corner.

Rose and the Doctor had dropped everything as soon as they heard Jackie's scream. They were expecting something terrible; perhaps the Santas had returned. They certainly hadn't expected to see a young woman who looked like she'd just come off the streets. She was about the same height as Rose, though slightly thinner, and with long matted hair that hung down past her waist.

"Who are you?" Rose barked and then stepped in front of her mother, shielding her from the intruder.

Eva frowned and then looked to Jackie for help. "Jacks? What's…"

The Doctor stepped next to Rose, blocking Eva's view of Jackie. While he had no idea what was so frightening about the young woman, it was evident something about the girl had caused Jackie to become hysterical, and that was all that mattered to him. He glared at the girl. While Jackie was annoying, he wouldn't stand for anyone hurting her. She was Rose's mum after all.

"Who are you?" Rose demanded once more.

Eva looked between the two strangers, a sickening fear rising in her gut. She attempted to look over the man's shoulders to meet Jackie's eyes, but he was far too tall. "I'm… I…"

Eva was saved from answering when Jackie pushed past the two strangers and pulled Eva into a bone crushing hug.

"Eva! Oh my God! Eva, It's you!" Jackie pulled back from a shocked Eva.

Eva was now really confused. "Jacks? What? What's going on?"

Jackie didn't answer but just pulled Eva back into a hug, still sobbing hysterically.

"I'm really sorry Jacks. I know I look horrible. I just stopped by to tell mum and dad about the news; you know about Rose and all and well… I'm really not sure what happened. Just woke up outside."

"It's you!" Jackie cried, softly and slowly pulled away. "We thought you were dead! That you died!" Her voice was just above a whisper.

Eva frowned. "I haven't been gone _that_ long Jacks. What time is it anyway? You need to get to sleep." She smiled at Jackie. "I know you don't want to hear it, but you really need to get some rest. We can't both look like we've been out at the pub all night. Though," Eva laughed, "I suppose Pete will probably be in bad shape. He's out with cousin Tom after all."

The blood in Jackie's face drained.

"It's you!" Rose realised just who the strange woman was. "You. You're her. You're Eva."

The tone of the young woman's voice drew Eva's attention.

"Well, yes." She tried to pull away from Jackie, but Jackie wouldn't let go. Instead, she began to sob harder, pulling Eva even closer to her.

"You're Eva Tyler." Rose wanted to be sure. It was all so strange; however, since travelling with the Doctor, it certainly wasn't an impossible thought.

Eva wanted to roll her eyes. Was the girl barmy? "Are you from the Prentice side of the family?" Eva asked. Eva couldn't help but notice her resemblance to Jackie. She glanced at the man. He was still looking at her with his brow furrowed. It made her uneasy. She tried to pull away from Jacks again.

"Jacks!" Eva whined. "You're crushing me."

"What happened to you?" Jackie asked as she released her grip on Eva.

"I should have just stayed. Didn't realise I'd had _that_ much to drink. That thing nearly frightened me to death."

"What do you mean?" Jackie asked.

"Went to see mum and dad. You know, tell them about Rose. I really thought I was hallucinating." Eva frowned. "You don't think Sara mixed anything into those brownies, do you?"

Jackie shook her head.

"What sort of hallucinations?" The man in the striped suit spoke for the first time.

Eva studied him for a moment, as though to gauge if he was asking in earnest or just being an ass. His expression reassured her, but she couldn't help but blush. She'd been rather thick. "Oh, a stupid statue." She turned away from the man and looked to Jackie, "I must have looked thick, attacking that statue."

She missed the surprised expression on the Doctor's face.

"I guess I must have blacked out, or something. That cabbie must have dropped me off, cuz I woke up in the alley out there." Eva gently touched her face. "Really messed me up. I'm sorry I'm gonna ruin the pictures."

Eva had expected forgiveness, but she didn't expect the emotional explosion that followed. Eva soon found herself being smothered once more, and Jackie's hysterical sobs returned.

"So this statue you attacked…" The man in the pinstripes attempted to question Eva; however, he was cut short when the young woman next to him hit him on the shoulder.

"Eva," Rose said softly. "Ummm. I think there's been a… well… I think something more's going on. You should probably come on in."

Eva looked at the young woman in confusion. There was something wrong about her tone, and it made Eva feel uneasy.

"Eva, look at my… look at Jackie."

Eva frowned and leant away from Jackie.

"Look at her," the young woman urged once more.

Eva looked to her best mate. This time _Really_ looked at her. Jackie looked tired, and she did look older. Eva's heart nearly stopped. She studied Jackie's eyes. She didn't just look older, Jackie _was_ older. Eva's eyes flew to the young woman. She looked so much like Jackie… but… "Rose?"

Eva's heart seemed still as she watched the young woman glanced briefly at the man in the suit before nodding slowly.

Eva frowned slightly. Who was this guy? He didn't look like any relation.

She looked back to Jackie and pulled away. "Where's Pete? Where's my brother?"

 ***Note, as you know, in the episode with the Cybermen, Jackie was 40. For the purpose of this story, Jackie would have been somewhere between 18-20 when Rose was born. Therefore, at this point in the story, Eva is about the same age as Rose.**


	3. Pillow Talk

**Chapter 3 – Pillow Talk**

Eva sat at the end of Jackie's bed holding a photo of Pete and Jackie's wedding. She hadn't taken her eyes off it for the last half hour. She'd finally stopped crying; however, her eyes were still red, and a film of dry tears tightened on her cheeks. She'd missed the wedding. She'd missed Rose's birth. She'd missed the rest of her brother's life. He was gone, and she'd never see him again. She looked up from the photo and studied the room around her. It was so different, yet so much was the same. A loud sob escaped her as her eyes landed on a hideous green chair in the corner of the room. It had been there when Jackie and Pete first took the flat. If her eyes remained fixed on the chair, she could convince herself that she'd just stayed over, had a nightmare, and one hell of a hangover. And Pete… Pete was still out at the pub with his mates.

Eva shook her head. She knew very well that she couldn't continue to stare at the awful green chair forever. So many years had passed. The evidence was all around her. It was in her hands. She looked down at the photo once more. They all looked so happy. It was obvious that it had been taken _after_ Rose had been born. She ran her finger over her brother's slightly shell-shocked face and chuckled through her sadness. Her brother was… had been so in love, but he was often overwhelmed and somewhat intimidated by Jackie's assertiveness. Heck, Eva had been intimidated by her when they first met in school. Jackie was everything Eva was not. Jackie was vibrant and liked by everyone. Eva had been shy and didn't have any close friends. The corner of Eva's lip rose. Jackie had quickly seen to that. Eva knew very well that had it not been for Jackie's encouragement, she'd probably have remained cornered in the school library for the rest of her days, too afraid to get involved in life. Jackie had taken Eva by the hand and ran. They made a strange, but perfect pair. Between the two of them, they were going to take on the world. That was just how it was. They were inseparable. Jackie and Eva… that was until Jackie met Pete.

When they'd started dating, Eva had initially felt betrayed. Suddenly, when Jackie came over to their place, it wasn't just to see her. When Jackie rang… it was often for Pete. It had taken Eva awhile to come to terms with their relationship, and there had been some heated arguments, which was a relatively regular occurrence with Jackie. Eva supposed it was the reflection of her passion for everything. Eventually, Eva saw past her own selfishness and could see her brother's… see her friend's happiness. It didn't take long for her to realise Jackie and Pete's relationship was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Though, at the time she really didn't understand what Jackie saw in her brother. He was just… well… he was Pete.

Eva sighed once more and looked down at the photograph. She'd missed her brother and best mate's wedding. She'd missed out on Rose's childhood. Missed out on being a godmother. Eva let out a laugh. She might not be able to watch Rose grow into an adult, but she supposed they could go out to the pub together. It would be weird. Eva shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed. Rose couldn't be Jackie, despite looking so much like her; however, she supposed they could be mates. She hoped they could. Rose was Pete's daughter, and she was all she had left of him.

"Here you are," Jackie's soft voice drew Eva's attention from her thoughts of Rose.

Eva smiled slightly as Jackie presented her with a mug of tea. She set the picture down on the bed next to her and took the offering. She couldn't help but let the corners of her lips lift slightly at the smell. "You remembered."

Jackie shrugged.

Eva was about to take a sip but then lowered it. "Has this been sitting in your cupboard for the last 20 years?" Eva was only half teasing. She knew Jackie hated mint tea.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "No. Rose likes it too, though she puts loads of honey in hers."

The fact that Rose liked mint tea somehow made Eva feel slightly less disconnected. She took a sip of the tea hoping it would warm the rest of her body. She closed her eyes and breathed in the aroma before letting her breath out in one long, slow release.

"She's beautiful," Eva told her friend as she opened her eyes. She turned to face the older woman. _Older._ Her chest tightened once more, so she closed her eyes and took another sip of tea. "Rose is. She's lovely," Eva spoke into the cup before leaning into her friend and resting her head on Jackie's shoulder.

"She is." Jackie relaxed and leant into Eva. She then put her arm around her friend and gave her a teasing nudge. "She takes after me after all."

Both women sat in silence for a moment before erupted into girlish giggles.

Eva's heart lightened. This was the Jackie and Eva she remembered. She looked back down at the photo in her lap. She found it slightly less difficult to look at. "She's got Pete's eyes," she whispered.

Eva could feel Jackie nod her head against her arm.

Eva ran her finger over Pete's image. "Pete had lovely eyes."

* * *

Rose watched as the Doctor paced back and forth in the living room. He'd been doing it since Eva had fled into her mum's bedroom. It was clear he had questions swimming around in his head. Hell, she had questions, but it wasn't the time. In truth, she was impressed the Doctor hadn't tried to break down the door. Oh, he'd made an attempt to go question Eva about what had happened, but Rose had stopped him.

"She needs time Doctor. She's just learned that her brother's dead and her best mate has gone and aged twenty years in what seems to her a few hours."

The Doctor studied her for a moment and then plopped down on the couch to wait. It wasn't long before he shot up and started pacing again. Rose watched him move back and forth across the floor as she thought about Eva.

It had only taken Eva seconds to realise that her brother was dead. Rose supposed it hadn't been hard for Eva to come to that conclusion from her mum's pale expression and her own look of pity. She couldn't imagine what Eva was going through. Rose had always wished she could have known her father, and the Doctor had allowed her that time with him, those few precious hours. She missed her dad with all her heart; however, she couldn't imagine how Eva felt. Rose had all her life to get used to the fact her father was dead. Eva had all that ripped away in what seemed like only moments. She didn't blame her aunt for fleeing into the flat, frantically looking for him, knowing very well what she'd find. She'd then locked herself in Jackie's bedroom. It had taken her mum a quarter of an hour before Eva let her in. Rose hadn't heard anything since and she didn't dare interrupt whatever was going on in there.

Rose's thoughts as to what was happening in her mum's room were interrupted when the Doctor stopped his hypnotic pacing.

"A statue." He turned sharply to face Rose. "A statue in a graveyard." He pointed at her as though trying to emphasise the fact. He then turned away and nodded to the wall as though he had made a decision of some sort.

"What?" Rose asked.

The Doctor strode towards her. "A statue in a cemetery Rose. A statue."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I think we've established the statue was in a cemetery."

"And what kind of statue would be in a cemetery?" He asked her, one dark eyebrow lifted.

Rose shrugged. "I'm sure there are loads of statues. You know, monuments and stuff. Statues of dead people I suppose."

It was the Doctor's turn to roll his eyes. He sighed and spun around to walk away from her. "Angels! Statues of angels." He turned to face her once more and nodded to her. "You wouldn't think twice of a statue of an angel."

"So?" Rose shrugged.

The Doctor strode towards her once more and told her with enthusiasm, "Angels Rose Tyler… Angels." He then promptly began his pacing once more.

"Yeah?" Rose still didn't get where he was going with this.

"Angels and sudden disappearances!" He thought out loud. He suddenly paused in his pacing and frowned. "No, no. no. no… it's all backwards." He shook his hands in the air and then drew them dramatically down his face. This was followed by what Rose dubbed his 'frustrated dance.' He'd done it at least four times in the last hour.

She let him finish his dance and then asked, "So, a statue of an angel has something to do with this?"

The Doctor nodded excitedly and then pointed at her, his eyes were bright, and he looked slightly mad, though… this was the Doctor. "Exactly that!" Then, without any further comment, he rushed for the door.

"What? Wait!" Rose jumped from where she'd been seated. "Where are you going?" She rushed to follow him.

The Doctor didn't respond, he was already to the stairs leading down to the street before Rose made it to the door.

* * *

Eva flopped back into the pillows on Jackie's bed. She was exhausted.

Jackie stood and walked over to the green chair and searched through the clothes that were draped over it. She eventually found a nightgown and held it to her chest. Eva looked up, sensing something had changed in the room. It was evident from Jackie's expression that she was thinking on something, trying to make some sort of decision.

"What?" Eva asked.

Jackie looked down at her. "We should ask the Doctor about what happened. He might know. This is just his sort of thing."

Eva put her mug down on the nightstand and brought her full attention to her best mate. "Who is he anyway? Rose's boyfriend or something?"

Jackie let out a frustrated sigh and plopped down on the bed next to Eva. "Don't know about that. I never know what the Doctor's thinkin'. He's mad. Completely insane." She looked to Eva and shook her head. "Rose is all fascinated with him that's for sure. But he's so… weird."

Eva laughed and picked her mug up. "You're one to talk; you married my brother." She took a sip and inhaled the aroma.

Jackie's frustration had melted for a moment before she frowned once more. "You just can't ever tell with him…" She nodded towards the closed door leading back into the hall. "With him being who he is, he could have some sort of bizarre mating ritual or something."

Eva nearly spit out her tea and laughed. "What?"

As though realising what she'd said, Jackie waved it off. "Never mind." Jackie wasn't sure how much to tell Eva, her friend already had a lot to accept, let alone knowing that the man in the living room was an alien.

Eva wasn't quite sure how to respond to Jackie's bizarre statement. "Okay." She then asked, "So, this doctor… what's his name anyway?" Eva asked.

"Doesn't even have a proper name," Jackie complained and began to change into her nightgown. "Just goes by the Doctor."

"So is he a professor or something? Some sort of scientist?" Eva asked.

Jackie supposed the Doctor was a sort of scientist. She nodded. "Of sorts, travels about. He's an expert in all sorts of strange things." Jackie dropped onto the bed next to Eva and lay down on her side to face her. "What gets me is that he goes and drags my Rose about, getting into danger. What am I to think when she goes flying off the face of the earth with some man that could be her father and doesn't even bother calling her mum!"

Eva couldn't help but giggle at how serious Jackie was being. "We ran off getting into trouble loads of times. You remember Robert Townsend." Eva winked at Jackie.

Jackie blushed but replied, "This is a whole different level than Robert Townsend. The worst Robby would have done was strand us in Scotland."

Eva shrugged and then wiggled to get more comfortable. "Anyway, he doesn't look old enough to be her father." She shifted once more and rolled onto her side to face her friend, a sly smile on her face. "In fact, he's rather foxy if I do say so myself."

Jackie looked at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"What? You can't tell me you can't see it. You're not _that_ old are you?"

"Hey!" Jackie gave her a little push.

Eva smiled and gave a soft growl. "Well, whatever he is… he's foxy."

Jackie rolled her eyes and asked knowingly, "So, what about Paul Edwards then?"

Eva blushed. She'd had a crush on Paul for nearly three years and had never gotten the nerve to say anything to him.

"He's single," Jackie informed her.

"And now twenty years older." Eva reminded her.

Jackie nodded. "Just as well. He's gotten soft and round about the centre." She emphasised this by rubbing her stomach. "Still works down at Parker's."

Eva's eyes widened. "Parker's? That dive is actually still open?"

Jackie laughed and nodded.

Eva shuddered. "Still working at Parker's? Wow. He always talked so big."

"Still does," Jackie told her.

"So old-"

"Oi!" Jackie scolded.

"Sorry." Eva blushed. "Okay. Still… 20 years older than me, round about the centre and still working at Parker's. I guess I got lucky that he never gave me the time of day."

Jackie nodded. "Now Connor Peabody, that's a different story!"

Eva screwed her face up. "Conner?"

Jackie nodded. "Made millions selling those electronic things he was always mucking about with. Lives somewhere in California now. Married to some supermodel."

Eva studied Jackie for a moment and then giggled.

"What?" Jackie frowned at her.

"Us. Here we are… sitting on your bed… talking about blokes. Just like old times."

"Yeah," Jackie said somewhat solemnly, but then a wicked smile crossed her face. In one sudden movement, she pulled one of the pillows from behind her and brought it down on her long-time friend.

Both women were startled when the pillow burst, hundreds of feathers floating around the room. They looked at each other and broke into giggles.

With an energy that had been dormant for the last 20 years, a girlish pillow-fight began.


	4. The Investigation

**Chapter 4 – The Investigation**

"Doctor!" Rose called as she rushed through the doors of the Tardis. "What-"

"Shut the doors!" The Doctor waved at the door as he rushed around the console, getting the Tardis ready to travel.

Rose pulled them shut, but not without complaint, "What are-"

"What was the date?" The Doctor interrupted.

Rose frowned. "What date?" There was a bite to her voice.

"When was it? The date your aunt Eva disappeared." He finally bothered to face her.

"You just took off-"

His urgency momentarily vanished, and he flashed her a brilliant smile. "Knew you'd catch up."

Rose wasn't entirely satisfied with his answer; however, his smile drew a blush that warmed her face.

"What was the date then?" He asked once more, oblivious to Rose's frustration.

She narrowed her brow. "August. It was August 1, 1986," She grumbled. "That was the date Mum and Dad were gonna get married."

"August 1, 1986, it is!" The Doctor jumped into action, pressing buttons and pulling levers.

While it was good to see him flying around the console, she was still hurt. He'd nearly left her. This wasn't like him. Sure, there was that time he'd gone off to the hospital without her. However, that had been different. He'd at least stopped when she'd called after him. Not to mention he'd given her a Tardis key. That was certainly something. This time he'd just run off.

The Doctor interrupted her internal grumbling. "I'm setting the Tardis for dawn. That will give us a bit of time to look around the scene without interfering with events."

This Doctor was so different… but so much the same. She watched as he grew more and more energetic as he rushed around the console. He lifted his leg and used his heel to press a button to his far right. Yep. Much more energetic. And fit. She couldn't help but admire his bum as he leant over along the console to pull a lever on his left. Oh yes. Very fit. The corners of her mouth lifted as she recalled the wink he'd given her on the Sycorax ship. Oh yes, most definitely sexy.

She was forced to divert her gaze when he spun around and hurried towards her in three long strides. He grasped her by the arms. His face had become deadly serious once more.

"Weeping Angels Rose!" He gave her a shake, and his dark brown eyes glittered.

 _Chocolate_ , Rose thought. _Creamy milk chocolate._ She swallowed.

She was startled out of her musings when he suddenly released her, spun around, and then waved his hands in the air before slapping them on his knees. "Haven't come across weeping angels since my 8th incarnation."

"They're some sort of statue then. Time travelling statue?" Rose asked.

"Yes… well no. They don't time travel…well…" He looked into the air and contemplated that thought. His eyebrows rose, and his mouth gave a tight considering frown before making a popping noise.

Rose couldn't help but notice that his Doctor certainly had an expressive mouth. She blushed once more.

"I suppose they might be able to." He continued. "Being stone they'd make it through the vortex just fine." He nodded and then rubbed his chin with his hand.

Rose shivered. That hand was still creepy.

"Yep. Stone… all that energy," he muttered more to himself than to her as he scratched his sideburn. He then spun around once more to face her. "They're powerful. Yeah. Really powerful.

"What do you mean?"

"They feed off time energy," he explained. All you humans," he wiggled his finger at her as though she made up the entirety of the human race, "you're like a feast, so unsuspecting. Moment by moment, day by day radiating small amounts of chronon energy. Each second, each half a second, each half of a half of a second. They feed on your years in one big bite" He bit at the air in demonstration.

Rose instinctively stepped back. His teeth looked rather dangerous, though the action sent an odd sort of thrill up her spine.

"One little touch." He leant forward and gave her a tap on the shoulder. "That's it! All it takes." He promptly turned back around, headed back to the console, and began to pace. It wasn't long before he turned to face her once more, his expression was dead serious, and Rose was sure it was mingled with fear. That certainly wasn't good.

"Though, if they're really deteriorated," he warned. "If they're starving, they can get desperate. Really desperate." His eyes met hers. "A snap of the neck means instant regeneration!" The Doctor's voice had lowered, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, that's what got Eva?" Rose asked as she rubbed her own neck.

The Doctor paced in a circle, studying the floor. Rose's hand twitched when he ran his hand through his hair.

"Haven't heard of a case where they sent someone into the future." He ran his other hand down the side of his face, drawing Rose's attention to his profile. "Though…" He looked up to Rose. "It's definitely possible. Yes, yes, yes, definitely possible, just unlikely."

He then tapped the corner of his eye. "Their weakness is also their greatest defence mechanism. They can't move, not one bit so long as they're being watched. But if you blink… if you blink at all, you're in danger."

Rose blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they're quantum locked if they're being watched.

"They can't move at all if you're looking at them?"

"Yep."

"So, you just have to keep your eyes on them?"

"Right. But if you look away, if you blink, that's all it'll take." He moved forward swiftly and looked her in the eye. "Don't blink Rose, not even once." He then added as though it was an afterthought, "Of course, if there's more than one, you're in a bit of trouble and better hope they don't send you back to the dark ages."

Rose shuddered and scratched at her scalp as though she could still feel the fleas. She had no desire to revisit that particular period. She'd spent three days in filthy 1131 Wales while the Doctor 'helped' some bloke named Galfridus translate Merlin's diary. She'd been surprised to learn that Merlin hadn't been a wizard or some sort of prophet. He'd been an early time traveller who'd left his diary behind when he went on what he thought would be a brief trip into the future. He'd ended up falling into a deep fissure near 1742 Cardiff. The Doctor's 'help' guaranteed that Galfridus' "Prophecies of Merlin" wouldn't encourage someone to go meddling with time. She scratched her head again.

"So that statue that Eva ran into in the cemetery was more than likely one of these Weeping Angels?" She asked.

He nodded. The Tardis shook slightly and the sound of it materialising ended their discussion.

The Doctor hurried over to the monitor.

Rose followed and moved in next to him. "Yep. That's Willow Hills." She turned to him. "Mum said Eva left the house sometime around 12:30 or 1:00 in the morning. She'd be already gone by now."

The Doctor nodded. "We'll have to be careful. Really careful. That angel could still be out there. Remember, don't blink."

Rose nodded.

"Wink if you see one and back away very carefully." He demonstrated dramatically, winking with one eye and then the other.

Rose couldn't help but laugh.

The Doctor's face lightened, and they both burst into giggles. It was then she realised it, "You giggle!" She pointed at him.

The Doctor immediately stopped, and his expression turned serious. "I do NOT giggle."

Rose nodded and began a full out laugh. "Yes, you do." She drew a circle in the air near his mouth. "You giggled."

The corner of his lip twitched. Then, in one dramatic movement, he rolled his eyes, turned, and strode towards the doors. He gestured for her to follow, but before Rose could get far, he turned around and smiled brilliantly and winked. He then disappeared through the doors of the Tardis.

"That's it." Rose nodded to two small monuments. "Grandpa and Grandma Tyler."

The pair stood there in silence staring at the headstones.

As Rose continued to study the grave before her, the Doctor's gaze moved around the cemetery. He hadn't seen anything out of place yet. He was drawn from his canvas of the area by a sharp intake of breath. He glanced down to Rose and then followed her gaze to an empty bit of grass off to the side.

"It's weird," Rose said in a soft, strained voice. "Seeing it like that. Knowing that's where he'll be."

The Doctor tentatively wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

"I mean… my dad is out there… alive." She nodded to the road and then leant her head into the Doctor's chest.

He gave her a squeeze and pulled her close to his side so he could rest his chin on the top of her head. As he did so, he took the time to scan the area off to the side once more. There were very few monuments resembling any sort of statue, which made things easier. His attention was once again drawn down to the young woman as she pulled on his jacket and then stepped away.

"I suppose we best try to find where she disappeared from."

He nodded. "Come on then. Eva was headed back to the cab right?"

Rose nodded. "That's what mum said from what Eva told her."

"Right then." He took her hand. "We'll head this way towards the road." He then pulled her along a worn path of grass.

As they walked, they turned in slow circles, each scanning the surrounding area, careful not to have their back facing away in one direction for too long.

"Ah! There we are." The Doctor picked up his pace and pulled Rose along towards a bag laying in the middle of the path. As they neared it, they could see a white coating of powder all around it.

The Doctor knelt down and studied the bag, but didn't touch it. Rose crouched beside him.

"What's all that?" Rose gestured to the white powder on the grass.

"I'm certain, fairly certain… No! Don't!" The Doctor shouted as he attempted to pull Rose's hand back. Unfortunately, he was too late. She'd touched the powder and disappeared in a blink. "No… no… no! He frantically patted his hands in the powder, hoping it might take him wherever she'd gone, but nothing happened. Not a thing. "No!" He cried out once more.

A feminine scream from somewhere behind him cut through his cry. He spun around and witnessed Rose falling from thin air just ten feet or so in the direction from which they'd come.

"Rose!" He hurried forward.

Rose groaned. "Good Lord! What happened?" She rubbed her hip as she ungraciously tried to stand.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor helped steady her and then drew out his screwdriver and began scanning her.

"Fine… fine I think." She dusted off her pants. "What happened?"

The Doctor must have been satisfied with whatever he'd found with his sonic screwdriver, so he put it back in his pocket. "You touched the dust. Don't touch the angel dust."

Rose looked up at him slightly confused at first and then burst out into laughter.

"What?" The Doctor wasn't amused.

"Angel dust."

"You could have been sent into the past or into the future to who knows where!"

Rose just giggled. "That really would have been a trip."

The Doctor's concern suddenly dropped, and he rolled his eyes. "Right. Phencyclidine."

"What! It's funny. Angel Dust. PCP."

The Doctor shook his head and strode back to where the dust was scattered on the grass. "Just don't touch it," he scolded her.

He then knelt down next to it and…

"What are you doing?" Rose pulled at his arm back as he reached towards the dust. "You said not to touch it!"

"Doesn't affect me."

Rose reluctantly released his arm and watched as the Doctor wiggled his finger in it. She cringed when he lifted it to his mouth and gave a lick. It was both disgusting and slightly alluring.

The Doctor made a face and nodded. "Definitely. Most definitely a Weeping Angel. All that dust and the aftertaste. Yuck!" He stuck his tongue out and smacked his mouth a few times as though it might relieve the bad taste in his mouth. He wiped his finger off in a dust-free patch of grass. "Chronon energy." He looked to Rose. "One of the more distasteful, literally distasteful, parts of regeneration. There's always that aftertaste of energy." He wrinkled his nose and shuddered.

Rose tried not to laugh. "What do you mean?"

"Chronon energy, time energy, it's what makes regeneration possible for Time Lords. It's what sustains us." He then nodded to the dust, "and Weeping Angels."

"So, are you like related then?" Rose asked. She was only partly joking.

"No." It was clear he was offended.

Rose grimaced. "Sorry." She then changed the subject. "So, what do you think? Is it still here do you think?"

The Doctor shook his head as he scanned the surrounding area. "Not the one that touched Eva that's for sure." He nodded down at the white powder. "The amount of energy in this dust isn't enough to regenerate the angel. It's done for. Dead. Demolished. Destroyed." Apparently finished with that particular line of conversation, he reached over, picked up the purse, stood, and began rifling around inside.

Rose watched as he pulled out various items, holding them up for her to see.

"Lipstick, pen, keys…" He jingled the keys around a bit before dropping them back in the purse. He fished around a bit more and pulled out, "a tam…" his eyes widened as he realised what the long white paper-wrapped cylindrical object in his hand was and quickly dropped it back into the purse.

Rose couldn't help but laugh as his cheeks reddened. "Serves you right. Is there any particular reason you're going through Eva's purse?"

"Not really." The Doctor pulled out a black leather wallet, opened it, examined Eva's ID, and then handed it to Rose. "Well, we know it's hers." He peered back into the purse, and his eyes lit up. "Oh! I love those. Love them! Love them! Love them." He reached in and pulled out what appeared to be Skittles that had been left in the bottom of Eva's purse for too long. A few of them looked like they'd melted at one point.

Rose grimaced as the Doctor popped the lot into his mouth. "That's disgusting. Really disgusting."

The Doctor ignored her as he looked around to see if he'd missed any at the bottom of the purse.

Irritated, Rose snatched it from the Doctor.

"Hey!" He complained.

Rose stuffed her aunt's wallet back into the bag. "Weeping Angels," She reminded him.

He rolled his eyes and then looked around. "I think there was just one and," he nodded to the dusty spot on the grass, "this one isn't going anywhere."

Rose watched as the Doctor reach in and fumble around inside his pockets.

"Where is it… where is it?" He muttered as he continued to fish around. He eventually gave up on the outside pockets and opened his jacket to rummage through the inside. "Where… ah ha!"

Rose was only vaguely surprised when he pulled out what looked like a mini hand vacuum. He then proceeded to clean the grass. "What? What are you doing?"

"Can't have someone stumbling upon all of this," the Doctor explained. "And… I want to run some tests." He continued to vacuum.

Rose shook her head in amusement and then sat down on a nearby bench.

When the Doctor was satisfied that he'd cleaned up most of what had been left of the angel, he dropped the little vacuum back in his inner pocket. "That should do it." He then pointed into the distance, somewhere over Rose's shoulder. "There."

"What?" Rose turned.

He nodded towards a large mausoleum. "We'll go back a few hours and park the Tardis behind that mausoleum and wait. We should be able to see what happened from there and not worry about coming into contact with your aunt or the Weeping Angel."

Rose nodded. She momentarily considered the idea of keeping the angel from touching her aunt; however, with the experience she'd had with her father, she knew better.

Rose wrapped her arms around herself. "Lord, it's August, and it's cold. Why's it so cold?" She shivered.

The Doctor glanced down at her and removed his jacket.

"Thanks." She smiled up at him as he placed it over her shoulders. "It's August, and it feels like back at the estate." Wondering just how long they'd been there, she glanced down at the Doctor's wrist. He wasn't wearing a watch. She briefly wondered where her Doctor's… no… the Doctor's watch was. She looked up to him. "What time is it anyway?" It felt like they'd been there for hours and she briefly wondered if something had changed in the timeline and Eva had just decided not to stop at the cemetery.

"1:30," the Doctor told her as he scanned the graveyard. The angel was out there. Somewhere.

Rose groaned. They'd been there for an hour.

It was then the Doctor heard it, the sound of an engine. "Enter Eva," the Doctor whispered and grinned at Rose.

Rose smiled and peered into the darkness, eagerly awaiting the first glimpse of her aunt.

Rose didn't have to wait long. There she was. Even though Rose knew she shouldn't laugh, she had a hard time trying not to giggle. Eva was weaving back and forth along the path towards the gravesite, grumbling something about never drinking martinis again. Eva was most definitely intoxicated.

It was Rose's turn to grumble an hour later. "Is she asleep?" Rose nodded to her aunt who was still kneeling before the graves.

The Doctor shrugged. They really couldn't tell from where they were watching. He supposed it was possible.

"What could she possibly have to say that would take that long?" Rose pushed her hands into the pockets of the Doctor's coat. "Ewww." Rose cringed when she felt her hand squish into something soft and moist. "Ewww," Rose whined as she pulled her hand out. She gave it a sniff. "You've got a rotten banana in there."

The Doctor looked down at Rose's hand; it was covered in brown goo. He sniffed the air. Yep, banana. "Wondered where that went."

Rose looked at him in disbelief and began trying to wipe it off in the grass. "How long has it been in there?" Part of her didn't want to know.

"Well, I think it was in 1968. My 4th regeneration."

Rose cringed. "1968? How could it be in there since 1968?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Might have been a few years earlier, I modified those pockets back in 1967. Keeps things fresh… well relatively." He nodded to the smashed banana bits in the grass. "I think it worked pretty well considering. I've regenerated quite a few times since then."

Rose shook her head in disbelief, but couldn't contain the smile pulling at her lips. "You're nutters."

The Doctor grinned. "Never claimed to be otherwise." He then turned back to where Eva was still kneeling. "I suppose- Oh, there we are… there we are," the Doctor's voice lowered.

"What?" Rose looked towards where Eva still kneeled.

The Doctor nodded in her direction. "Just there. Just in the distance."

Rose scanned the area in front of Eva, and her eyes widened when they focused on a statue of an angel. It hadn't been there before. "That's it!"

He nodded.

"Why isn't it moving towards her?" She asked.

"Remember. It can't, not when we're looking at it." The Doctor turned to her, just for a moment.

"So how are we going to watch what happened?" Rose asked.

"We're not… not exactly." The Doctor explained.

They both turned back to where the angel had been. It had moved closer.

"What are we going to do then?" Rose asked.

"I just need to take a look when it gets closer," the Doctor explained, "get a better idea. I want to see if it looks different in some way."

"What do you mean different?"

"We'll the more time energy a Weeping Angel consumes, the newer the statue appears. I suspect that any statue that would send someone forward in time would be rather fit. They'd need loads of chronon energy to send someone forward and still survive."

"Fit?"

"Yeah." The Doctor glanced at Rose. "New and shiny."

"Okay…" Rose blinked.

The Doctor turned back to watch Eva. "She's up!" the Doctor jumped up from where he'd been sitting next to Rose. He then glanced in the direction the angel would come. It had moved again.

Rose stuck her head out to see what was going on. She let out a gasp. "It's standing where my father is going to be buried!"

The Doctor nodded and squeezed Rose's hand.

"So," Rose asked a bit later, "it's stalling because we're here?"

"Yeah. We were here the first time… we've always been here." He ran his gaze along the path and to the point where Eva would come in contact with the angel. "It would have gotten to her much more quickly. Who knows what would have happened otherwise."

Rose looked up to him. "So, it is a fixed point."

He nodded. They both turned and looked back towards Eva. They were just in time to see her turn and look behind her. They could just make out the confused expression on her face upon seeing a statue that hadn't been there before.

"Look away Rose." The Doctor said softly.

"What?" Rose was shocked that the Doctor would request such a thing. "It will get… oh." Rose looked away.

They locked eyes until they heard Eva's cry in the night. They quickly turned to see what had happened. Both the Doctor and Rose's eyes widened as they watched Eva fall forward, her arms out, and her hands around the statue's neck.

The Doctor had been wrong.

"It can't be!" He exclaimed, his voice louder than he intended. He watched in amazement as the angel moved, just briefly, before falling backwards under Eva's weight. In a blink, the statue burst into a cloud of dust and then, Eva, along with most of the cloud, disappeared completely.

The very last evidence of Rose's aunt was a loud cry, and Rose was sure she'd heard Eva say her mother's name.

Rose turned to the Doctor. "I thought you said it couldn't move if we were looking at it."

The Doctor was still staring at the spot where Eva and the angel had been. All that remained was the powdered stone still swirling in the air. "That shouldn't have been possible," he muttered in disbelief.

"Doctor?" Rose questioned.

The Doctor blinked and then looked to Rose. "Well obviously, it's possible, just… it's just… How?" His eyes widened. "Wow!" He suddenly spun around in a circle before turning to face Rose.

"Did you see that Rose? Did you see that?" The Doctor's excitement was growing, and a mad smile was returning to his face. "It moved. That angel moved! That was fantastic! That angel was perfect! Like finely polished marble!" The Doctor grasped onto Rose's arms and looked down at her with a brilliant smile, awaiting her response.

Rose didn't smile. She didn't think it was fantastic. "Doctor," she said in a worried tone, "could that angel have travelled with her? Travelled into the future? Could it be at the Powell Estate?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that.


	5. Girls Just Want to Have Fun

**Chapter 5 – Girls Just Want to Have** **Fun**

Rose hurried after the Doctor as he took three steps at a time to the Tyler flat. Despite having built up incredible endurance since she began her travels with the Doctor, Rose was one flight below him by the time he reached the top. She couldn't help but smile in approval when he waited for her before storming the flat.

Rose began fishing out her keys; however, she stopped upon hearing loud music coming from inside. Surely, they weren't having some sort of party? Eva had been exhausted and upset. Rose listened for a moment before the Doctor grew impatient and looked like he was about to use his sonic screwdriver on the door. Rose pushed him to the side with her hip and unlocked the door.

"My mother says when you gonna live your life right…"

Rose rushed towards the source of the music, followed closely behind by the Doctor. She came to an abrupt halt upon seeing the ridiculous spectacle.

"Oh, mother dear we're not the fortunate ones…" Jackie was singing to a large spoon that she had just pulled from the carton of ice cream in her other hand.

There they were, her mum and her aunt Eva dancing around the settee, wearing their jim-jams, and singing with Cyndi Lauper. If this wasn't shocking enough, the fact that both of them had green facial masks and were wearing brightly coloured curlers was ridiculous. Rose stood frozen in place and nearly fell over when the Doctor crashed into her back. The music was so loud that neither Eva nor Jackie had taken notice of them yet.

"And girls they wanna have fun…" The two women sang together.

"I didn't know Jackie could sing." The Doctor stepped up next to Rose. He looked extraordinarily amused and was already dancing in place to the music.

Rose shrugged.

"Oh, girls just want to have fun…" The two women did a little dance, and Rose could see that Eva was holding Granny Tyler's custard dish. This time, it was actually filled with custard, and it had a number of chocolate chip cookies sticking out of it.

Apparently, it was Eva's turn to sing because she held one of the custard coated cookies next to her ear and sang, "The phone rings in the middle of the night, my father yell's…"

Rose couldn't help but laugh as the two women turned to each other as scolded, "what you gonna do with your life."

It was then Eva and Jackie noticed them. Eva continued to dance but held out a cookie to them and pleaded, "Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one,"

Then she and Jackie sang together once more, "But girls they wanna have fun."

The Doctor, who was still dancing in his place, plucked the cookie out of Eva's hand. "Oh, I love custard."

Eva held out another to Rose, who quickly took the treat.

"Oh, girls just want to have…" They continued to sing.

Rose heard a groan come from beside her and her attention was drawn to the Doctor. She was just in time to see his eyes roll back in his head as he licked the custard off the cookie. "Mmmm, banana custard."

She rolled her eyes, but her insides tingled.

He took a big bite. "Oh, Fantastic!" He tried to speak with his mouth full of the treat, "Just Fantastic!"

She couldn't help but laugh, and she took a bite. She had to admit it was excellent.

Upon Eva's next circuit around the room, the Doctor lunged forward and attempted to dip his cookie in the custard. He was quickly disappointed when Eva pulled the dish away. "Oi! No double dipping."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You do know that a bit of double dipping only adds a minuscule amount of microbes to the multitude already swimming about." He grinned broadly at her, thinking himself so very clever.

Eva rolled her eyes. "Smarty pants." She then pulled the custard dish closer to her chest, gave him a wink and then danced away, double dipping as she moved along.

He hurried after her, reached over her shoulder, and dipped.

Rose laughed and took another bite of her cookie as she watched the small dance party come to a close. By this time, the Doctor had commandeered the dish of custard and had seated himself on the arm of the settee.

It was when Jackie turned off the stereo that the mood in the room shifted dramatically. She rounded on Rose. "Where have you been? Leaven' just like that!" Her anger was made clear as she gestured wildly with the ice cream spoon. She then turned to the Doctor and stalked towards him.

He immediately jumped from his place and began to back away from her, putting the settee between them. "Now Jackie-"

"Don't you now Jackie me!" She leant forward, her spoon ready to strike at any moment.

The Doctor backed up a bit more making sure she wasn't in smacking distance. He'd faced Autons, Cybermen, and Daleks; however, Jackie was scary, really scary. The green facial mask reminded him far too much of the Wirrn larva he'd encountered on that space station during his fourth regeneration. He cringed and shivered; the parasitic creatures always made him uneasy.

"Three weeks! Three weeks!" Jackie shouted. "You just left! We've been here waiting, wondering!"

Rose was shocked. _Three weeks?_ She glanced at the Doctor and then to her aunt Eva who was now seated in an armchair watching the scene. What had Eva thought? She must have thought she hadn't cared.

"Eva, I'm so sorry-" Rose attempted to apologise but was cut short by the Doctor's voice.

"No! Can't be. Three minutes. Maybe-"

"Twelve Months!" Jackie reminded him.

As Jackie continued to reprimand the Doctor, Rose glanced to Eva who surprisingly didn't look upset in the slightest.

"Eva-," Rose began.

"Three minutes then?" Eva asked, the corner of her lip lifting slightly. "Such an odd thing to say."

Rose studied her aunt. There was an odd glint in the young woman's eye

Eva wasn't stupid. True, when she woke up the morning after her arrival and both Rose and the Doctor were gone, she'd been hurt that Rose wasn't still there. However, a lot had happened since their disappearance.

 **The afternoon after Eva's Reappearance**.

Eva sat in front of the telly, completely wrapped up in the news report. They'd been showing photos and footage taken of the alien encounter the day before. Earlier that morning, she'd listened to a talk show with guests who were all victims, or family members of victims, that had been controlled by the alien creatures, called Sycorax.

Eva sank back into the settee and took a sip of her tea as the report began.

"This is Richard Meadows with BBC24 reporting live from Downing Street." He was being jostled around between the flood of reporters who were all very interested in a tired looking woman who was making her way into the building. From the caption below, Eva gathered she was Harriet Jones, the current Prime Minister. One of her assistants was trying to speak to her; however, she just waved him away shaking her head.

"Speculation continues and the evidence that Prime Minister Harriet Jones is no longer fit for office continues to grow. Many are now questioning her actions yesterday evening." The camera focused back in on the Reporter.

"It has been discovered that the explosion that occurred last night, destroying the Sycorax ship, was ordered by Minister Jones after a negotiation of peace had been made. This is especially disconcerting because it took place at a time when peace and goodwill should have been on the minds of each and every one of us."

Eva continued to watch as the reporter turned to face a vehicle that was pulling up.

"Oh! And there… Here we are… I believe this may be… Yes…"

Two very official military officers exited the vehicle, followed by a very smartly dressed woman and a rather rumpled looking older man with wild grey hair.

"Yes. Here we are. General Alfred Phillips of Her Majesty's Army and Air Chief Marshal Colin Morrison of the Royal Airforce have just arrived with Professor Edward Parker and Professor Amelia Holmes." The reporter turned to face the camera. "You may recall Professors Parker and Holmes from their work over the last year. They are both adamant supporters of a growing number of experts who have been attempting to prove that the crash landing into Big Ben was not a hoax. This begs us to wonder what other secrets have the government been trying to hide."

The reporter quickly glanced back to where the four new arrivals disappeared into the building. "The world cannot help but question what this means for our future here on Earth. When will the next visitation occur?" He looked towards the sky and then back to the camera. "How will the government react? And… what sort of reputation are we building? This is-"

Eva turned off the telly, stood, and walked to the window to look towards a row of trash bins next to the spot she'd _landed_. "Aliens. Time travel." She murmured.

She sighed and then looked around the flat. It felt so strange here now. Jackie had gone off to work, and Eva was alone. Jackie had wanted to call in, tell them there was a family emergency; however, Eva had convinced her to go on in. Eva knew very well that money was tight, and in truth, at the time, Eva felt she needed some time alone. There was just so much to accept. It hadn't taken long before she wished she'd taken Jackie up on her offer. She felt so displaced, and at first glance, the room didn't look so different from when she'd been to Jackie's party. Oddly, that made her feel even more uncomfortable. Though, she had to admit it was much neater than it had been before. She couldn't help but smile fondly at the thought, and her eyes glistened with tears. She supposed with Pete gone, he wasn't there to muck things up. He'd always been a mess, far too preoccupied with all the ideas swirling about in his head. Eva hadn't been hurt upon finding Jackie had gotten rid of a lot of his things over the years, it wasn't like she'd expect Jackie to keep some sort of shrine or something. That being said, the closet in the guest room, the room that was now hers, was filled with old boxes Jackie had packed up and hadn't quite had the heart to part with. And, before Jackie had left for work, she'd presented Eva with a beat-up shoebox.

 _"I couldn't get rid of these."_

 _Eva_ _opened the lid and sank onto the bed to take a look. The box was packed full of letters. Upon pulling one out, Eva let out a sob. They were addressed to her. They were from Pete. She pulled out another, then another. There were so many. She looked up at Jackie._ _"He sent these?" Eva's voice was barely a whisper. She held up a letter to show Jackie._

 _Jackie nodded. "He always said it helped, sort of a diary of sorts he told me once." Jackie sat down on the bed next to her. "I never had the heart to open them. Didn't feel right."_

 _Eva_ _flipped through the letters. Each one had been stamped and mailed back to the house._

 _"He'd take them down to be posted at the corner, and a few days later he'd get it back and file it away in this box._ "

 _Eva_ _lifted one of the letters, this one was posted about two months after she'd disappeared_.

 _"He wrote them up until… up until the_ _accident," Jackie told her._

Eva hadn't been able to open one of the letters yet. She still wasn't ready. She'd need time.

A few hours later found Eva standing next to the trash bins, staring down at the pile of ground stone. Spotting something lumpy she reached down and picked up a large chunk of worn rock. For a moment, she thought perhaps it was an old piece of concrete that had gotten mixed in, after all, the statue that she'd crashed into had been smooth and marble-like. This chunk looked like something that had been left out on the coast of a harsh seaside town for the last few thousand years. And, while she couldn't be sure, she was almost positive it was shaped like a hand. She brought it closer to study; however, before she could get a really good look at it, the stone hand crumbled into a powdery sand, which ran through her fingers and down to the ground.

"Strange," She murmured to herself.

As she sat thinking about her situation, thinking about Rose and the Doctor, she realised that there was more to the Doctor, and Rose, than Jackie had been willing to let on. Eva wasn't stupid. When she woke up that morning, and Rose and the Doctor had disappeared, she couldn't help but think about Jackie's strange comments about Rose having travelled with this Doctor. _Flying off the face of the earth_ , Jackie had said. Then there was her niece's twelve-month disappearance without calling Jackie. Despite not really knowing Rose, Eva couldn't imagine she'd fly off the face of the earth for a year without calling her mum.

She picked up a bit more of the dust and let it fall through her fingers. She got a strange sort of strength when she did so, and it was calming. As she watched the grains fall, she solidified the concept of time travel in her mind. This morning, when she first woke up, she'd thought, just for a moment, that she was back in 1986. When she rolled over to see Jackie looking so much older, she knew immediately it wasn't a nightmare. It was real. Time travel was real.

She then thought about the Doctor. Jackie had been sure that this Doctor could help her. That he'd know what to do. Time travel. Strange mating rituals. Eva blinked. Aliens. A scientist, of sorts. Travels. Could be her father. Aliens were popping up everywhere it seemed, so why not in Jackie's sitting room?

By the end of her first week with Jackie, Eva had convinced Jackie to spill about Rose and the Doctor.

 **Another week later.**

Eva was sitting at the table, surrounded by piles of books that she'd borrowed using Jackie's library card. She was in middle of reading a book on quantum gravity when she was startled by the doorbell.

She didn't move.

The bell rang again.

"Rose?" A male voice called.

Eva stood and slowly made her way to the door.

This time the person on the other side knocked.

She just stood there, afraid to open it. Aside from a brief trip to the mall to pick up some clothes and her trip to the library, Eva hadn't had much contact with anyone outside Jackie's flat. After seeing what happened to the stone the other day and then the research she'd been doing, she really wanted to wait until Rose, and the Doctor returned. She knew they would. Eventually.

She heard someone grumble on the other side of the door and then begin to walk away. She was just about to return to her research when she heard the word "Doctor."

She flung open the door, and the man who'd called out for her niece turned around, a smile on his face. His smile faltered when he saw her.

"Oh, is Rose around?" He asked. His voice was full of hope, mixed with something she thought might be the fear of disappointment.

Eva shook her head. "I… well I believe she'll be out for a bit." Eva really wasn't sure when they'd be back, though she hoped that they wouldn't be gone a year. She suspected whoever this Doctor was, he had a horrible sense of timing.

The corners of his lips lifted and he looked as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He stepped forward to stand in front of the doorway.

"You one of Rose's friends then?" Eva asked.

"Yeah, known each other since we were kids." His smile grew. He held out his hand to her. "I'm Mickey, Mickey Smith."

Eva's eyes widened, and she laughed. "Smith… Smith… Oh my, you're Sara's kid!" She couldn't believe it. "Oh my goodness!"

He was shocked when she launched herself at him and gave him a hug.

She pulled away and smiled brightly at the shocked man before her. "Look at you! Mickey Smith. Wow!"

Mickey watched as she suddenly rushed to the balcony and leant over to look down. From what he could tell she was looking directly at where his flat was. She then turned back to face him, leaning against the balcony. "Do you all still live down the way?"

"Have we met?" He couldn't help but give her a once over. He was sure he'd have remembered her.

It was then Eva realised what she'd just done. Her eyes widened and then she tried her best to cover. "Oh, well yes… though we were young… just kids. You were a few years older than me; however, I remember you." She held out her hand to him. "Eva, I'm Eva Tyler. Rose is my cousin. You used to leave your toy cars all over my mum's floor."

"Eva Taylor, you're related to Rose's dad then?" Mickey asked.

Eva nodded.

"You're Eva Tyler's daughter?" He wished he could remember the woman before him. He vaguely remembered her mum, though it was more of what others had said about her. "I thought she died?" Mickey asked.

Eva's smile faltered. "Yeah." She supposed it was true, _that_ Eva Tyler was dead. "Went missing."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's all right." She waved it off, though it did bother her.

There was an awkward silence, and then Mickey asked, "Jackie in?"

Eva shook her head. "No, at work. Should be back in an hour or so." She hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Want to come in? It's sorta weird just standing here and stuff." She wanted to know more about what had changed over the years. And this was Mickey… little Mickey.

Mickey seemed to relax and nodded. "Thanks."

As they headed towards the sitting room, he asked, "When did you get here? Come up for the holidays then?"

Eva nodded. "Something like that." She gestured to a seat. "Just sort of popped in. Haven't seen Jackie in years and well, Rose wasn't even born yet the last time I was here. It was really great to meet her. Gave Jackie quite a surprise." She moved towards the kitchen. "Want some coffee, tea or something?"

"Tea."

An hour later found Eva and Mickey watching football on the telly. Eva really wasn't that interested in football, in truth she'd always preferred watching rugby; however, it was nice to have someone else in the flat. It kept her from thinking too much about what she was going to do.

"Eva! I'm back!"

Both Eva and Mickey looked up at the sound of Jackie's voice.

"I picked up some of those horrible olives you like so much." She was fishing around in a plastic bag when she reached the sitting room. "I don't know how-"

"Thanks, _Aunt_ Jackie." Eva jumped from her place on the settee and hurried over to her _aunt_.

Jackie blinked in surprise but quickly realised the reason for Eva's comment. "Yeah, right."

Eva took the jar of Castelvetrano olives from her.

"He doesn't remember me from when we were kids, you know when he used to play over at my mums flat." Eva hinted. "Gave him a bit of a surprise."

Jackie looked to Eva and then back to Mickey. "That's right. I'd forgotten." She looked to Eva, "I remember your mum gettin' all upset when she stepped on one of his trucks."

The colour rose in Mickey's cheeks.

Eva nodded and then popped the top of the olive jar open and pulled out an olive. "Oh these are fabulous," she groaned as she took a small bite around the pit. After swallowing she held the jar out to Mickey, "want one?"

Mickey shook his head. While he loved pickled eggs, pickled onions and especially gherkins, he hated olives. That being said, he couldn't help but enjoy watching Rose's cousin eat them.

Neither Eva nor Mickey noticed Jackie roll her eyes.

 **The Present**

"So," Eva nodded towards where the Doctor was still being threatened with the ice cream spoon, "what did you find?"

Rose blinked. "What?"

"When you went back. You travelled back to when I disappeared right?" Eva asked, though she very well knew the answer.

"Well, yeah." Rose's lips lifted into a smiled. Her mum had mentioned that Eva had been clever and thought that cleverness had trickled down to Rose.

"And what did you find?" Eva asked.

"Hmm, there are these things, these Weeping Angels-"

"And they displace people in time," Eva asked though it was more of a statement.

Rose nodded and then added, "The Doctor said it's usually into the past-"

"But this was different?" Eva questioned as she adjusted one of the curlers that had come loose in her hair.

Rose nodded, but couldn't help but giggle. Her aunt had so much hair that there were multiple layers of curlers on top of each other.

Eva noticed Rose's expression and rolled her eyes. "It was your mother's idea. She's always trying to get me to curl my hair. I refuse to get a perm. And, you just wait, five minutes after I take these out there will be nothing but a light wave to it, barely there." She scratched her scalp a bit. "It's uncomfortable and a waste of time."

"Yeah, when I was in my 3rd-year mum gave me a home perm. It was awful."

Both young women giggled at the thought. Eva could just imagine a little Rose with Little Orphan Annie curly hair.

Rose's expression then became more serious. "I… we did go, we went to where you disappeared." Her eyes widened, and she smiled. "Oh, we found your purse, but it's back in the Tardis."

"The Tardis. That's his time machine right?" Jackie had told her a bit about the Tardis; however, she really wanted to hear more from Rose. Rose had done all the travelling after all.

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space," the Doctor suddenly appeared beside them, followed by a still disgruntled Jackie.

"You can't take me back," Eva told him.

"Nope."

"And you can't go back and fix your miscalculation in your return…"

The Doctor frowned at her use of the work miscalculation.

"… because you can't cross the timeline you've already established here."

The Doctor's frowned lifted, and he smiled. He was thrilled she understood. It really was such as simple concept, but it was one that most humans just couldn't or didn't want to grasp.

"Thought not."

The Doctor's mind went back to the Weeping Angel problem. His face turned serious and then asked, "When you woke-"

Much to his surprise, she held up her hand, interrupting his inquiry. "Hold that thought," she told him as she gave her scalp a scratch and patted the curlers. "I'll be right back." She abruptly turned away from him. "I just can't take it anymore, I've got to get these things out." Without waiting for any other comment, she disappeared down the hall towards the bathroom.

The Doctor frowned in the direction she'd disappeared. "Well that was rude," the Doctor grumbled.

Rose scoffed, "Rude? You're one to talk!"

Jackie just glared at him and then headed to the other bathroom to take out her own curlers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Eva studied the mad looking woman in front of her. Even before she'd reached the bathroom, six of the large curlers had fallen and were now a tangled mess. She was just glad the green facial mask had dried. Had it still been a gooey paste, she'd have had to wash her hair once more, and that would mean that Jackie might try to put her in curlers again. She wrapped a dry towel around her head to pull her mess of curler tangled hair away from her face and then lifted a damp washcloth to wipe the green plaster off.

As she moved the warm cloth over her face, she thought about what had occurred the last three weeks. She'd had a lot of time to think about her situation and had done a bit of research on the mysterious Doctor. She hadn't found anything new, nothing that Jackie hadn't already told her. And now, she was both excited and terrified to meet him, properly meet him. He was an alien, after all, an alien known to be both scary brilliant and mad. Completely mad. She just hoped the man, or whatever he was, would be able to give her more answers.

She leant closer to study her fair skin. "And make sure nothing's wrong with me," she murmured into the mirror as she wiped the last bit of green goo from her eyebrow.

* * *

"What's taking her so long!" The Doctor complained.

Rose rolled her eyes. "She has a lot of hair."

The Time Lord grumbled in the direction of the bathroom and then walked over to the empty custard dish. His frown deepened, disappointed that it had not somehow refilled itself in his brief absence from it.

He then swung around and faced Rose. "Ages! It's been ages!"

Rose couldn't help but laugh. "You know, for a Time Lord you're rubbish at time."

"Well, it has."

Rose looked at the clock next to the alien. "Fifteen minutes."

"Relative." He gave a flippant wave.

"Right." Rose rolled her eyes, headed over to the settee and then sat down in front of the plate of chocolate chip cookies.

The Doctor was quick to join her, claiming one of the last two cookies on the plate. As soon as the Doctor had polished off his cookie, he stood and strode towards the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked from her place on the settee. She was clearly amused.

His only response to her inquiry was the sound of various items in the refrigerator being moved about and the occasional disappointed grumble from the Time Lord.

She had her answer when she heard a pleased, "Ah ha!" This was followed by the sound of silverware clinking together, and not long after a low moan.

"You've got to be kidding!" Rose called out to him. She knew he could eat, but this was ridiculous.

He didn't respond immediately but soon appeared in the doorway leading from the kitchen. "This is gorgeous!" There was a pleased smile on the Doctor's face, as though he'd completely forgotten his impatience. "You know," he nodded in the direction of the bathroom, "that aunt of yours could make a fortune in 52nd century Villengard. The banana groves are really flourishing then. All sorts of banana-y shops popping up."

"Yea?" Rose asked.

The Doctor nodded as he licked the spoon, his eyes closed in pleasure.

"Well, right." Rose had to look away. Upon hearing him groan once more, she shot up from her seat and began pacing; it was her turn to be impatient. "Maybe I should go help her." She started heading towards the bathroom.

"Nah." The Doctor waved the spoon at her. "It's not like we're in a rush."

Rose turned to face him. "You're… you're just saying that because you're stuffing your face with banana custard."

"It's good banana custard."

"What about that angel? I thought you were so concerned that it might be running about?"

"We've been gone three weeks. What's fifteen more minutes in the grand scheme of things."

"Right. Relative," Rose muttered.

* * *

Rose had just started getting into the novel she'd left on the coffee table over a year ago when she was startled by the sound of the Doctor's shout!

"Oi! You're ginger!" He accused as he stood and pointed his spoon at Eva, who'd just entered the room. "A blondie sort of ginger!"

"Well…"

"Lots of gingery blond," The Doctor continued as he circled the startled woman.

Eva froze. Was there something wrong with the alien? Did he have something against people with a bit of red tint to their hair?

"Doctor!" Rose scolded him before Eva could formulate a response. _Rude,_ she mouthed.

He lowered his spoon and stepped away from the ginger of sorts. "Right. Rude. That was really rude."

The corners of Eva's lips involuntarily turned upwards despite the fact she was really confused by the bizarre outburst.

The Doctor pouted under his breath, "I've always wanted to be ginger."

Eva let out a sigh. For a moment, she'd thought being gingery was some sort of insult to his alien species. In order to remove the awkwardness of the moment, she offered him a compliment. "I think the brown suits you. Quite like it. Gives you a bit of a dramatic appearance, especially with those sideburns." She nodded at him as though to reassure him she was speaking in earnest. And, it was true. Very true. He was-

"See!" The alien interrupted her thoughts. He turned to Rose and struck a pose. "Dramatic!" He then gave her a wink and said in a low voice, "And foxy."

Rose blushed and quickly diverted her gaze towards her aunt. "You look nice. You've got hair like Dad's." Realising what the statement might do to her aunt, Rose attempted to apologise, "I mean-"

Eva laughed, "I have a bit more hair I should hope. He started losing his when he was twelve."

Rose nodded and giggled. "Yep. A bit." Her Dad had already lost quite a bit of his hair when she'd met him with _her_ Doctor. _The_ Doctor she reminded herself. She glanced to the Time Lord who was now smoothing down his sideburns in front of the small mirror hanging on the wall. He was _her_ Doctor. A soft smile lightened her face. Yes. He'd always be her Doctor whatever face he had.

"Now then?" The Doctor turned around and smiled at the two ladies. He was clearly pleased that he'd already gained their attention. "Angels."

* * *

"This is where I woke up." Eva gestured to the pile of ground stone next to a rubbish bin. She squatted down and reached to pick up a handful of the dust.

"No!" Rose cried.

"Don't-" The Doctor attempted to pull Eva away. He wasn't quick enough.

"What?" Eva gasped. She immediately dropped the fine grains she'd just picked up and fell over on her bum.

"-touch the dust!" The Doctor finished in a whisper. His concern had vanished as soon as he realised Eva had not.

"Don't touch it. We don't know if it could send you somewhere else." Rose explained as the Doctor helped Eva up.

"Thanks." Eva gave the Doctor a grateful smile as she brushed her backside off. She then turned to her niece. "I… well I touched it before." She turned back to the Doctor. "It didn't do anything."

"When?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, the next day, the day after I arrived."

"And?" The Doctor questioned.

"And?" Eva frowned. "I picked up the dust. It was… dusty."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Did it feel weird or anything? Did anything happen?" Rose asked.

Eva immediately shook her head; however, she then amended, "I… no… Well yes. It felt sort of tingly. Energising."

Rose looked at the Doctor who was nodding, as though this made perfect sense. She was surprised when the Doctor pulled out a pair of tortoise shell glasses and put them on. She'd never seen him in glasses before.

"And it broke up a bit more," Eva added as an afterthought.

"A bit more?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah. There was a bit still there, looked sorta like a hand. It just dissolved into sand when I picked it up."

The Doctor leant forward to examine Eva more carefully.

"What?" Eva leant back slightly as he neared and drew out what appeared to be a penlight. He pressed a button and waved it in front of her eyes.

"Look left," he directed.

She looked left.

"To the right."

She looked right.

The Doctor leant in closer, and just as quickly as he'd drawn it out, he pocketed the penlight.

"Interesting," he muttered.

Eva's brow worried. "What? What was that? Am… am I okay?"

"Is something wrong Doctor?" Rose asked, equally concerned.

The Doctor studied Eva silently, which didn't reassure either woman.

"Doctor?" Rose inquired again.

This seemed to draw the Time Lord out of whatever thoughts that had been whirling around in his head. He blinked and then turned to Rose.

"Yes."

Eva's eyes grew wide. "What-"

"I mean no."

Both Eva and Rose sighed.

"It's probably nothing really." He dropped down to get a better look at the sand.

"What do you mean probably nothing?" Eva asked frowning down at the man. She momentarily forgot her worry when he stuck his finger in the mixture that had been on the ground for the last three weeks, lift it to his mouth, and give it a lick. "Eww."

The expression on his face made it clear that whatever the dust tasted like wasn't very good.

Rose groaned. "Did you have to do that again?"

The Doctor jumped up and turned to Eva, ignoring Rose's comment.

"Really faint, extremely faint." His face scrunched up once more. "Hint of motor oil."

"What's faint?" Eva asked.

Instead of answering he grabbed her hand and gave it a quick lick.

Eva pulled her hand away. "What! What did you do that for?"

Again, he didn't seem to register what she said. Instead, he closed his eyes and studied whatever taste he'd gotten off Eva's hand.

Rose noticed that the Doctor's face didn't scrunch up in disgust. Instead, she was sure there was a slight upturn of his lips. She frowned.

"Just as I thought." The Doctor's eyes shot open, and he leant forward.

Eva stepped away even further. Was he going to try to lick her once more? Was this some bizarre alien ritual like Jackie had mentioned?

He gave her a quick sniff and then stepped back. "Should have noticed before." He looked to Rose. "She's absorbed all its chronon energy." He glanced down at the pile of sand. "Completely destroyed it." He nodded down to the sand.

"I thought chronon energy tasted bad?" Rose asked, her tone tinged with annoyance.

"Yes. Yes." He waved his hand at Rose. "It's alive… she's alive and hasn't just regenerated. All those dying cells being forced out… makes the energy rancid." His face once more took on an expression of someone who'd tasted something nasty.

Rose's eyes widened, and a horrified expression froze upon her face. "What do you mean regenerated? She's going to change? Change like you?"

"Of course not. She's human," the Doctor said as though she'd asked if the Tardis was red. "But she's bursting with chronon energy." He leant over to Rose and gave her a sniff. "You've been travelling. Anyone travelling through time picks up a bit. But Eva here," he nodded to the worried looking gingerish blond, "is like a nuclear plant."

Eva paled and had to lean against a nearby bin so that she wouldn't pass out. She locked eyes with the Doctor. "Will I be okay?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

"Could it hurt her?" Rose asked as she examined her aunt. They'd just got her back. She wasn't sure what her mum would do if Eva…

"I have no idea." The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Really, don't have a clue." He turned to Eva. "Never." He scratched his head, took off his glasses, and then pocketed them. "Not even once."

"What can we do? There must be something?" Rose asked.

Eva nodded slowly. She was still too shocked. _A nuclear plant?_ She had a horrible vision of her body exploding or even worse, discovering she had some rare alien form of cancer.

He turned to Eva with an optimistic grin on his face. "We'll give you a look over when we get back to the Tardis."

Eva didn't like the tone of his voice. The way he said it made her feel somewhere between an exciting experiment and an afterthought.

"But first," he continued, "We'd best get this cleaned up." He gestured to the pile of sand.

"I thought you said all the energy was gone," Rose questioned.

He nodded. "Most of it, sure. It's really faint. But you lot." He gestured between Eva and Rose. "Well, perhaps not you." He nodded to Eva. He then looked to Rose, and probably not you, not with this level of energy." He kicked the dust a bit. "Who knows what would happen to all the other balls of clay."

Both Rose and Eva frowned at him.

"Wouldn't want to cause any trouble." He pulled the little vacuum from his coat, which made Eva's eyes widened.

Rose laughed. "As if."

 *** In answer to the review about the 2nd time the Doctor vacuumed up the dust, remember there are two locations:** **Eva's past in the cemetery and then in the alley at the Powell Estate in the future.**


	7. Made in Arcadia

**Chapter 7 - Made in Arcadia**

The Doctor rushed up the ramp, picking up bits of metal and wire that littered the floor of the Tardis on his way. Once he reached the console, he explained, "There was a tiny little accident during my regeneration." He kicked a broken piece of console plate behind him.

Rose scoffed.

"Should be able to get it all sorted out within a few days," He continued. "She's perfectly fine really, for the most part, sort of, not too dangerous, perhaps a bit." He began hurrying around the console, tossing off broken parts. "I wouldn't recommend taking her any further than Mars quite yet, but who'd want to go to Mars anyway." He then looked to Rose, "Quick jaunt, fine, 10-20 years, no problem. Right Rose? Structure's fine."

Rose's eyes widened when the handbrake broke when the Doctor gave it a pat. "Right."

He just shrugged and then tossed the handbrake over his shoulder. "It'll need a bit of work… but…" He crouched down and opened a little door near the floor. Immediately black smoke began to fill the room. He quickly shut the door and then turned to face the ladies. "There's a bit of congestion in the abagordon particle distributor." It was then he noticed that Eva was wondering along the wall of the Tardis. It was obvious she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"It's beautiful," she whispered as she slowly looked around the console room, her eyes passing over the rubble and scorch marks.

The Doctor's initial annoyance at her lack of attention faded upon seeing the look of absolute wonder in her expression. A proud grin lit his face, and he bounced on his toes. "Beautiful! Yes! A beauty! That she is!"

"It's a ship, but so…" She leant in and placed her cheek on the cool material of a pillar. Eva wasn't for sure what it was made of. It didn't seem like metal, it didn't feel like stone, it was… "moving."

"And?" The Doctor prompted.

"It's so much…" Eva closed her eyes and ran her hand along a railing. "It's…"

He was waiting for it… waiting for it.

"It's lovely." Eva breathed out before turning to face the Time Lord and her niece. She was slightly shocked to see the Doctor frowning at her. Hadn't she just complimented his ship?

She glanced to Rose who sported a playful smirk.

"Have I said something wrong?" Eva asked, a worried expression on her face. Had she offended the Doctor?

The Doctor, who suddenly realised he was frowning, smiled widely and gave the console a bit of a pat. "Yep! Lovely! Just lovely. And bigger on the inside don't you think?"

Eva looked at him oddly. "Bigger?" She looked around the room. "Yes. Yes, it is... rather obvious… yes."

The Doctor just studied her for a moment, shrugged, and then spun around to press a variety of buttons on the console.

"Are we going somewhere?" Rose asked.

"Nope."

"What'cha ya doing then?" Rose asked.

The Doctor pulled out the mini hand vacuum and the brown vacuum baggie containing the crushed stone they'd found at the cemetery. "First we analyse this." He waved the brown bag around. "And then we see what was out there!" He brandished the vacuum. He then nodded to Eva. "And then we'll have a look at you in the med bay."

Eva was slightly surprised she'd come last on his list. "Oh… right."

Five minutes later the Doctor stepped away from the console and groaned.

"What?" Rose asked. "Is something wrong?"

"It's the processing coil, it got a bit damaged, and it's gonna take forever to get our results. Hours and hours." He groaned once more.

"Processing coil?" Eva asked.

"Yep. It processes things," the Doctor explained.

Rose rolled her eyes, "Never would have guessed."

The Doctor grinned at her.

"Is it something that could be changed out or something?" Eva asked. "I mean is it something that could be fixed before going further? Or, would that just take longer?"

The Doctor just stared at her for a moment. He actually felt somewhat ridiculous for not thinking about it before. He was so thick. "Thick… thick… thickety thick."

For a moment Eva had the impression he was insulting her; however, his grin and sudden outburst of, "Excellent! Obvious!" relieved her of the idea. He strode towards Eva, grasped her shoulders, and gave her a shake. "Brilliant!" With that, he darted towards a hall that led deeper into the Tardis.

Only seconds later he returned. "Well come on then!" He gave them a wave to follow before taking off once more.

* * *

"You're kidding me," Eva exclaimed as she came to a halt next to Rose, who looked equally shocked at the sight before her. "How are we supposed to find anything in here?"

Rose had been travelling with the Doctor for well over a year, perhaps more, and she'd never seen a room that was such a mess. There didn't seem to be any sort of organisation, no rhyme or reason, though she supposed that wasn't too surprising. However, this particular room reminded her of a giant junkyard. There were, of course, piles upon piles of Tardis parts; however, the room was crammed with junk of all sorts, everything from an empty package of jelly babies to a life-size Viking ship.

Both ladies watched as the Doctor climbed a particularly tall pile of mechanical parts and promptly began searching for the processing coil, tossing odds and ends, obviously not processing coils, behind him.

"Well go on then," he ordered as he began digging through a trunk, "there's got to be one around here."

Eva just stood there, looking up at the madman. He really was mad, completely bonkers, muttering to himself as he went through various metal parts, none of which resembled a coil.

"What's it look like?" Rose asked.

Instead of answering right away, the Doctor let out a please cry. "Oh yes. Love these. Love them."

Both ladies thought for a moment he found the coil; however, when the Doctor turned to them he was juggling a Slinky between the palms of his hands.

Eva just stared, but Rose couldn't help but laugh, "You're nutters."

He gave Rose a brilliant grin. "Catch." He tossed the slinky at her. It weebled and wobbled as it flew through the air. She caught it, but in the process, it got slightly tangled.

"Ohhh," he cried, looking extremely disappointed that he might have damaged it.

Within seconds Rose had it all sorted out, and once again an enormous grin lit his face, and he dove back into the heap of parts. Seconds later he pulled out what looked like a coil and showed it to them.

"Looks sorta like this!" The coil was purple with suction cups on each end. He tossed it away. "But is green with little clippies on each end." He stressed the word 'clippies' by making clipping gestures with his fingers. Once more he was off, hunting for the elusive green processing coil. The ladies watched as he began to toss at least four more of the purple coils to the side. They could just make out the Doctor's mutterings about why there were so many purple coils.

Rose and Eva headed over to a large pile of parts near the Viking ship. There were at least twenty of the purple suckered coils in that particular stack, and it seemed logical that the processing coil might be with them. They began to dig.

"Oh! Look at this!" Rose exclaimed as she held up a lovely silver and gold omega chain necklace.

Eva moved closer to examine it. It really was lovely. There was a repeated etching all the way down its length.

"Too bad it doesn't have a clasp." Rose held the necklace up and laid it across her skin.

Eva nodded. "It is pretty."

"Oh… it tingles!" Rose laughed and held it out to Eva.

Eva took the chain and studied it. Even holding it she could feel a slight, barely noticeable, vibration. She draped it around her neck and then immediately let out a yelp, nearly tumbling down a pile of parts. The necklace had snapped closed.

"Be careful over there!" The Doctor yelled from across the room. "Some of these parts are delicate."

Seeing that Eva was perfectly fine, Rose tossed a metal coffee pot in his direction, only just missing him.

"Hey!" He looked offended.

Only seconds later a hideous avocado green throw pillow, with harvest gold fringe, hit Rose on the back of the head.

"It won't come off!" Eva complained as she tugged at the necklace. The slight vibration had stopped, and only the pleasant sensation of thin, cool metal tickled her skin.

Rose moved towards her and attempted to find a clasp or release. She couldn't find anything. "We'll just get the Doctor to use his sonic, that should do the trick. Though, it's rather pretty on you."

* * *

Ten minutes later found the trio back in the console room. The ladies watched as he removed some panelling and began pulling out various parts. After a moment, he turned to Rose and nodded towards the jumpseat she was standing by. "Could you pass me that…" It was then his attention was drawn to Eva, who stood just behind her. He frowned, scrambled up from his place on the floor, and moved to stand in front of her. "Why are you wearing that?"

Eva blushed, slightly embarrassed, was he angry? "Well… I… I was just holding it up to my neck to see how it looked and it sorta just latched together."

"Why would you hold it up to your neck?" He asked as though he'd never heard of anyone putting a necklace on.

"Well, it's pretty," Rose defended, "and it was just there all twisted up with some gears."

"Well of course it was." The Doctor was looking at her as though she'd said something moronic. "That's what it's used for." He then turned to Eva, "Why would you put a gear belt around your neck?"

"A gear belt?" Eva asked.

"Yeah, what did you think it was?"

"A neck-"

"It's a belt for the gears in the chronon capacitor," he continued, not bothering to wait for her response. He leant in a bit. "Unused one too. Must be a remnant from when I had to replace the belts back during my second regeneration." He leant back and studied her for a moment and then laughed, "looks a bit silly to me, but who am I to argue." He shrugged, grabbed his sonic screwdriver and the coil, and then returned to the console.

Eva's brown narrowed.

"Anyway…" he continued, as though he hadn't insulted her, "just need to pop this in." He leant over the open panel and studied the inside. He swallowed with a bit of difficulty, and then tossed the green processing coil behind him. He turned to Rose. "Could you go get one of those flux coils?

"What you do that for?" She nodded to where he'd tossed the green coil.

"The purple one, with suction cups," he told her.

"I thought you needed that one?" She pointed to the coil.

"Well, yes… but I think we can get away with the one we have here… but the flux coil is about to go."

The corner of Rose's lip lifted. "The purple one? The one we just happened to have hundreds of?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Right." She gave a laugh and then hurried out of the console room.

After Rose had left the room, the Doctor turned to Eva. "You know, on second thought, it doesn't look half bad."

"What?"

He nodded to the necklace. "That belt doesn't look half bad as a necklace unless of course, you know Gallifreyan."

"What's it say?" She fiddled with the silver metal.

"Then it just looks sorta silly," he continued.

"What's it say," she repeated.

"Made in Arcadia."

"What? Like Made in Japan or something?"

The Doctor nodded, a slight smirk on his face. "All down the centre there." He pointed the repetitive circular script.

"Lovely. So, I just have to stay away from anyone from your planet."

Eva watched as the colour on the Doctor's face drained slightly.

"Doctor?" She was getting worried. He was staring at the belt, a frown on his face. "Doctor?" She tried again and was relieved when he looked up to her eyes and smiled.

"Well then, doubt we'll be running into anyone so you should be okay. Just fine. Yep lovely. Looks sorta Celtic, sort of, may be not… but still lovely. Made in Arcadia." He gave a short laugh, though this time she was sure there was pain in his eyes.

He quickly turned to look down into the console. As he did so, Eva heard him mutter, so quiet that she could barely hear, "of course not, obviously, false advertising and such, happens all the time. Can't get the original anymore."

She was slightly hesitant to speak once more, but she needed his help. "Could you take it off?" Eva asked.

"What?" He turned around sharply.

"Could you help take it off me?"

"You can't get it off?" He frowned.

She shook her head and pulled at it.

He moved forward, pulled out his sonic screwdriver and ran it along its length. "Interesting. Didn't realise how much… though it's somewhat understandable." He finished his examination of the necklace and then grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room.


	8. Energizer Bunny

**Energizer Bunny**

The Doctor let out a huff and glared at the 'necklace' around Eva's neck.

"What?" She worried as she tugged on the necklace. Rose had assured her that the Doctor's screwdriver was like some sort of magic wand, able to get through almost anything.

He gave his sonic a shake, pressed a few buttons on its edge and then tried once more. The Doctor's shoulders slumped, and he pocketed his sonic screwdriver.

Realising the Doctor's famed screwdriver wasn't going to help, Eva asked, "How do you usually cut it? You said it was a remnant. Don't you have some sort of special clippers or something?"

"Oh, any clippers will do. Really easy to cut."

"So, what's the problem?"

"Easy to cut when it hasn't been triggered by chronon energy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eva asked.

He didn't answer. Instead, he began pacing, fumbling around in his pocket, no doubt with the screwdriver. Eva got the impression he was more disappointed that his sonic screwdriver hadn't worked rather than any concern about the chronon capacitor belt around her neck.

She watched him pace back and forth before asking slightly louder, "Will it hurt me?"

He glanced at her as though he'd forgotten she was there, studied her for a moment and then shook his head. "Doubt it."

This was a relief.

"At least I don't think so," he added after further consideration, waving his hand in the air.

She frowned when he didn't explain further. Instead, he began pacing once more, plunging his hands into his pockets as he did so.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked with growing worry.

"I suppose concentrated radiation might be of concern."

"Radiation? I… What? Radiation? What sort of radiation?" Eva was having trouble breathing, and her heart began beating double time. He'd described her as a nuclear power plant.

"Radiation." The Doctor confirmed as he paced. So absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't notice the horrified expression on Eva's face. Instead, he hurried across the room towards a tall metal cabinet. He gave the doors a tug and then jumped to the side, so not to be crushed by a large hospital bed that lowered itself to the floor. This was followed by stands of medical equipment.

The Doctor turned to face her, a grin on his face. "Rather convenient don't you think?" He stood proudly next to the setup.

"Radiation?" Eva choked out. She was considerably paler.

The Doctor's grin fell. "Oh," he gulped. "Rude, that was really rude," he quietly chastised himself and rushed over to her. He carefully took her hands and led her towards the bed. "You should sit down. It will be fine. I mean, nobody's ever died from wearing a chronon capacitor gear belt." Just as he settled her on the hospital bed, he added, "though, I've never heard of anyone putting a chronon capacitor gear belt around their neck, so it's we can't know for sure." He glanced at Eva. Her eyes were wide, and she now looked white as the sheet on the bed. "Okay, just lay back." He guided her down.

"Radiation?" She repeated, her voice barely a whisper.

"Let's see." The Doctor attempted to ignore her pained expression. He really wasn't sure what would happen. He had no idea how much chronon energy she'd absorbed. He knew it was more than he'd ever heard of a human possessing. He glanced down at the 'necklace' once more and then shook his head. It was a short piece of belting. Perhaps it wasn't quite so bad. Tests. He'd have to do some tests.

With new determination, The Doctor hurried around the bed and began fastening various bits of equipment to her. Once he was satisfied with the number of wires hanging about, he pulled out what looked like a very large camera.

FLASH.

Eva blinked, temporarily blinded.

After taking a snapshot, The Doctor returned to the medical bay console and plugged in the scanner. He tapped his foot impatiently as he awaited the results.

Eva watched as various shapes began scrolling across a rather ancient looking computer monitor. It seemed out of place when compared to all the other equipment in the room. Realising she had no idea as to what the strange circular symbols meant, she turned to attention to The Doctor, whose attention was absorbed in the readings. She frowned as the Doctor's face graduated from confused to concern.

"What?"

The Doctor turned to face her, though Eva got the impression that he wasn't actually looking at _her._ It was clear he didn't hear her.

"Doctor?"

When he didn't answer Eva shifted on the seat and watched with worry as his concern seemed to return to confusion, as though he was now viewing her as some three-headed alien. Though, she supposed, he might not be so surprised to see a three-headed alien sitting on a hospital bed. Moments passed, and he remained frozen. Completely silent. While Eva hardly knew the man, she' already learned he had a gob that could go on and on. The silence was frightening.

"Doctor?"

He blinked once more and then rushed away, only to return with the largest needle Eva had ever seen. She was sure its tip glinted in the white light of the medical bay, appearing to become sharper as it neared.

"Oh no. No, no, no!" She leaned back on the hospital bed, attempting to roll away as far as she could.

"I just need a bit of blood." He told her.

"Not with that thing!" Eva nodded towards the needle. She'd had her blood drawn plenty of times; however, she'd never seen anything like the needle that was now less than a foot away. She'd never really been afraid of needles, but this needle looked like something out of a mad scientist horror movie.

"It'll be all right," He tried to reassure her.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"You do know I'm not just The Doctor; I'm _a_ Doctor. I've studied a fair bit of medicine in my time. I won't hurt a bit."

Eva shook her head as her eyes remained fixed on the needle. "No, I don't think so."

His smile softened, and he lowered the needle slightly. "I promise not to use it for blood control."

"What?" She relaxed slightly, shocked at the very idea. _Blood control?_

"Oh yeah!" He grinned. "Though, it might be a bit of fun… you know, party games and all. How's your Elvis impersonation." He moved toward her, needle still lowered.

Eva was so taken by his change of subject she didn't notice he was now standing just in front of her. "Elvis impersonation… what?"

"Yeah." He took her hand and straightened her arm.

"You're crazy."

He grinned at her. "Yep. Madman in a blue box. That's me."

The grin made Eva's pulse rise slightly, though she tried to reason it was the needle he was still holding.

"Well?" The Doctor said soothingly.

Eva couldn't help but chuckle. He'd distracted her. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She looked back up at him. "No Elvis?"

His grin returned. "I promise. No Elvis."

She nodded and looked away.

"There we are!" The Doctor said as he released Eva's hand.

She whipped her head around and was surprised to see him walking away with the syringe full of blood.

She glanced down at her arm. He hadn't been kidding. It hadn't hurt a bit. In fact, she hadn't felt it at all. She lifted her arm closer to her face and searched for a needle prick. There wasn't a thing. No mark. No cotton ball and tape bandage.

"How?" She looked up to where he was standing next to a metal table.

He turned and grinned widely at her. "I told you, I'm a doctor Doctor."

Eva couldn't help but grin back and let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't even realised that she'd been holding.

The sound of a door opening drew their attention towards where Rose stood in the doorway, the purple coil in hand. "You just disappeared," she complained. While she knew they hadn't gone far, she'd been annoyed to find the console room empty. She was about to say something more when she saw the monstrous syringe full of blood.

She promptly passed out.

"Rose!" Eva called out to her niece as she tried to sit up to assist in some way; however, she was confined to the bed, still attached to the various wires and probes the Doctor had attached to her.

The Doctor, who was in no way impeded, tossed the syringe onto a metal tray and hurried to help her.

Eva felt relief upon seeing him next to her niece. It was clear from his expression that he was genuinely worried for her and obviously had strong feelings. At that thought, she was suddenly taken by a ripple of disappointment. _Disappointment?_ Realising she was actually jealous made her stomach feel slightly queasy. It was wrong, just wrong.

She tensed slightly and then pushed the thought aside.

"Rose, you okay? Rose?" The Doctor smoothed Rose's hair out of her face.

"Doctor?" Rose moaned as she slowly opened her eyes. A silly smile lightened her lips upon looking up to The Doctor's bright smile.

Eva tried to sit up once more, but the wires kept her in place. One on her forehead pulled slightly, and she could feel it was coming loose. As she watched Rose's recovery, she lifted her hand to adjust it.

"AHHH!" She cried out as a powerful shock travelled from the tips of her fingers throughout the rest of her body. After initial pain subsided, she collapsed back into the bed.

Eva's cry jolted Rose out of her dazed state, and she and the Doctor levitated from the floor and hurried over to the bed.

"Eva! You okay?" Rose asked, eyes full of concern.

Eva groaned once more, a frown on her face. "I'm fine," she grumbled. Her gaze travelled to The Doctor, who was now pointing his sonic screwdriver at the small round pad as he attempted to reattach it to her forehead.

"You could have told me not to touch it!" She complained.

"How was I to know you were going to touch it! Why would anyone touch it?"

Eva rolled her eyes.

"What's it for anyway?" Rose asked.

"Measuring the energy," the Doctor explained as he fiddled with the probe.

"What energy?" Rose questioned further.

"That aunt of yours-" the Doctor began.

"That aunt is right here," Eva was now even more annoyed.

"Right. Well," he began as he finished reattaching the probe to her forehead. "Eva's bursting with chronon energy and that," he gestured to silver and gold 'necklace,' "Is a chronon capacitor gear belt."

"So?" Rose asked.

"So… the chronon capacitor, obviously, stores chronon energy. "

"Oh… obviously." Rose said sarcastically.

"And…" The Doctor frowned at her, slightly annoyed that she'd interrupted. "A chronon capacitor gear belt is designed to help retain energy that might otherwise leak out of the Tardis' core. Not only does it keep the gears moving, but it also acts as a sort of enhancement, as an improvement on a battery."

"So, Eva's like the Energizer Bunny or something?"

Eva rolled her eyes.

"Like a chronon battery?" Rose continued.

The Doctor thought on it for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. A really good rechargeable battery. Loads of energy coiled up inside."

"But it's not like I've got gears, Doctor." Eva reasoned. "I'm not some sort of clockwork person."

"True, but you're a living, working, organism. All sorts of moving parts. It may not be attached to any gears in your body, but it can sense the movement and the chronon energy moving through your system, your heartbeat, the rush of your blood through your veins." The thought of blood reminded him of his task, he turned, picked up the syringe, and began dropping samples onto, and in, various analysis receptacles.

The ladies watched as the Doctor distributed the slides, bottles and testing papers, into different testing apparatus.

"So, it's keeping in all that chronon energy in then?" Eva wanted to confirm.

"Yep." The Doctor replied as he peered down to look at one of the slides under a large microscope.

Eva watched with apprehension as the Doctor studies the slide. She hadn't felt anything strange. If anything, she felt… energised. She scoffed, drawing Rose's attention to her.

"What?" Rose asked.

"Nothing really."

"No. What?" Rose asked again.

Eva let out a slight chuckle. "It's all so strange. I'm scared out of my mind; however, at the same time, I feel better than I can ever recall. _Energised._ "

Rose's lips lifted in amusement. "Literally."

Both women burst into soft giggles.

"What?" The Doctor looked up from the microscope and studied them.

"I was just telling Rose I feel energised."

The Doctor smiled. "Well, I suppose that's to be expected. And, just to reassure you, I don't see anything out of the ordinary. No strange genetic mutation in your blood. The scan was completely normal," he shrugged and then add, "but for the party that's going on in that melon." He nodded to Eva's head.

"Is that a concern?" Eva asked.

He shrugged. "Can't be for sure." Seeing her expression, he quickly added, "but it's unlikely." He waved a hand as though dismissing the thought of any danger. "Oh, you'd send 21st-century neurologists into a tizzy. The strength of the synapses going off in your head is sending quite the signal. Not quite at the rate you'd find in this fabulous head," he tapped his head, "you're only human after all. There's only so much the human brain can take."

Realising both women were glaring at him, he quickly changed his line of thought. "But… yes… well… you'll probably have increased cognition. And, there's a significant increase in dopamine neuronal activity, so you may want to stay away from any drugs or alcohol."

"Right, we'll I've already decided to stay away from martinis," Eva told him.

"Quite right too," he told her. "Nasty stuff."

"So, what's it all mean then?" Rose asked the Doctor; however, he'd already returned to study more of the samples he'd taken.

When he didn't answer, Eva explained, "Well, apparently I won't have much of a difficulty when I eventually get back to Uni."

Rose frowned. "You just gonna go back to school then?"

"I've got to do somethin'," Eva explained, "can't stay with Jacks for the rest of my life."

"But you could come with us," Rose told her. Realising she'd made the offer without asking the Doctor, she blushed and looked to where he was standing, looking rather annoyed. "Well, I mean, maybe…"

Feeling the awkwardness of the moment, Eva intervened, "Nah, I mean I don't know if I'm ready to fly off on some adventure." She then added, "Besides, I couldn't leave Jackie, not now."

Rose nodded in understanding; however, she couldn't help but consider it might be nice to have her aunt travelling with them. Eva was her father's sister after all.

"Besides," Eva continued, "Perhaps time travelling isn't such a good idea. I mean, wouldn't it just make things worse? Doctor?"

"Not sure." The Doctor was still examining the other samples he'd taken. "May not make a difference." After jotting something down on what looked like a cocktail napkin, he turned to face her. "Your body is on deep cycle. I could hook you up to the chronon circuit and drain the energy completely; however, it wouldn't take long for your body to recharge, recreating the lost energy. That's part of what the chronon belt does. Not much is going to change until that belt is removed. and those Arcadian belts are of the highest quality. They can take centuries to degrade."

"So, in other words, I'm going to have this thing," she ran her fingers along the smooth belt, "around my neck for the rest of my life." It really wasn't a question.

"You're only human," he shrugged and then returned to his examination.

"So, you've said."


	9. A Surprising Welcome

"So, your sayin' you've got all that stuff floatin' all inside ya." Jackie frowned as she handed Eva a cup of tea before sitting down across from her. She didn't bother offering any tea to the Doctor who was standing near the door going through his pockets. It was clear he was anxious to go. Rose had disappeared into her room to gather a few things she wanted to take with her.

"He says it's not gonna be dangerous or anything." Eva nodded to the Doctor who was now digging through a tin of mints.

Jackie frowned at the man. "Yeah, well, ya better be right about that Doctor."

The Doctor's head shot up when she addressed him. He opened his mouth as though he was about to say something when Jackie cut him off. "And ya better come quickly if we need to cop hold of ya."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and popped one of the mints in his mouth.

"I'll have my phone mum." Rose entered the room and attempted to reassure her mum that they'd be in touch. "Besides, the Doctor gave Eva a mobile, just in case."

Eva pulled out the phone that the Doctor had given her, and examined it once more. She'd had a fancy mobile that her parents had given her when she'd went off to uni; however, it wasn't anything like this. It was so small. So thin. She touched the screen and was slightly startled when it lit up. The Doctor had shown her how to use it; however, she still found it rather intimidating. So many "apps" and the idea of "texting" was so strange. She couldn't understand why someone wouldn't just call. She swiped the screen to where a picture of a Tardis was and showed it to Jackie.

"What's that supposed to be?" Jackie frowned at the picture. "How was some picture of that ship gonna do any good?"

"Sorta like a call button mum," Rose explained. "She's just gotta tap it."

Eva tapped it, and Rose's phone started ringing, and the light on the Doctor's wristwatch started blinking.

The Doctor grinned, rather proud of himself. He gave his watch a tap, and the ringing stopped. "Don't go flashing it about though." He told Eva. "That technology won't be on the market for another ten years."

This only seemed to annoy Jackie further. "So you sayin' I coulda' had some button on the phone like that, and you'd all come runnin'?" She glared at the Doctor, and then her gaze shifted to her daughter.

Rose held her hands up in surrender. "I didn' even know about it mum." Rose gaze drifted to the phone. She looked slightly envious.

Sensing this, Eva held her phone out to Rose, "I'll trade ya. I'm… it's a bit… much." She really wasn't sure she'd actually be able to use it, other than to call Rose or the Doctor. Though, she supposed that was really the point. Anyway, it wasn't like she had anyone else to call.

Rose shook her head adamantly. "Oh… no… you'll need it more than I would." This was true. Rose would be with the Doctor, and there was also the fact that she liked the idea that she might still get to know her aunt a bit more. The Doctor had shown Eva how to do a video call, and they could talk using one of the many monitors in the Tardis. She'd not mention that fact to her mum quite yet.

"Sooooo," The Doctor backed up towards the door. It was clear he was ready, had been ready, to run. "We've got places to go, planets to explore." He looked at Rose. We'll need to make a quick stop over to Cardiff to refuel and make few repairs. Won't be able to do any _real_ travelling until the chronometric astrometer fully functional and we'll need an extra jump start to do that." He glanced at Eva, "Could use your aunt but I'm not sure how we'd do that without wiring her up to the astrometer and that might-"

Whatever the Doctor was about to say was cut short when Rose, his Rose, slapped him.

"Hey!" He looked at her, a frown on his face. "What was that for?"

He backed up a bit more towards the door when he realised Jackie had gotten up from her chair and was heading his way.

"That's my aunt you're talking about!" Rose told him, obviously upset about any thought of wiring her aunt up to the Tardis.

"You're not doin'-" Jackie began, but the Doctor raised his hands. "Right. Yes. Of course. That would be rude. Yeah. Really rude." He glanced at Eva who was looking at him with wide eyes. He cringed, slightly apologetic, before looking back to Rose. "Right." He shoved his hands in his pockets, gave a little bounce.

"To Cardiff!" He grinned and rushed out the door.

* * *

"You could probably find somethin' with one of those experiments like you used to do," Jackie advised her friend as they exited the Tesco.

"I'm not in school anymore Jacks."

"Or, I heard Hendricks is hiring. They've just opened up their new shop."

"I can't do that. No one's gonna hire me without some sort of ID." She'd tried to get in touch with Rose or the Doctor; however, it had now been four weeks now with no news. Despite having the fancy phone and that Tardis "app", she hadn't been able to reach Rose or the Doctor. She'd meant to ask about help with getting some sort of ID or something, but Rose and the Doctor had gone before she'd remembered.

"You might be able to find something at Tina's," Jackie suggested. "She's always needen' help at the cleaners.

Eva cringed; however, she supposed working at the cleaners was her only option at this point. She was sure Tina would pay her outright, and she wouldn't have to go through any background check or anything.

"I'll get with her tomorrow morning," Eva told Jackie. She had to find something. She felt guilty that she hadn't been able to contribute anything towards the rent or anything. Oh, Jackie had insisted it wasn't a problem and that Eva could wait until the Doctor returned. "They always come back," Jacks had told her. "Eventually. Besides," Jackie tried to reason, "I'm used ta haven' Rose at home, and a bit of extra expense is nothin' new. Rose never stayed anywhere that long. Shoulda known she'd run off one day."

Eva refused to be a burden. Besides, she couldn't just wander around London forever. Since the Doctor had left, she'd spent a lot of time around where she and Pete had grown up. Eva couldn't bring herself to go to visit her parents' or her brother's grave. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be comfortable in a cemetery, or near statues, ever again.

"Oi Eva!" Jackie and Eva turned towards a familiar voice.

The two women turned to see Mickey running towards them. Eva couldn't help but smile. Mickey, little Mickey, who wasn't so little anymore, had become a good friend to her since she'd arrived. Despite how much she wished things could go back to normal between her and Jackie, so much time had passed between them, at least for Jackie, and there were times things seemed slightly forced. There were expectations and a sense of empty spaces that couldn't be ignored. Jackie was her best friend and would always be her best friend, but things couldn't just swing back to how they were before. Jackie had moved on after Eva had gone missing. She'd gone on after Pete's death. She'd raised Rose alone. That changed a person. She was still the Jackie Eva knew, but also different. A difference that couldn't be ignored, not completely. Since meeting him, Mickey had helped fill some of those empty spaces. He'd taken her out to the pub a few times. While she wasn't really all that interested in football, she preferred rugby, to be honest, it was nice to hang out at the pub with friends. She'd gone out with Jackie, but it felt odd. Not quite the same. And, Mickey talked about Rose. A different Rose.

"Where you been all day. I tried to ring ya!" Mickey came to a halt before Eva. She hadn't given Mickey her mobile number. She'd saved that for Jackie, Rose and the Doctor.

"Hello to you too," Jackie complained when he hadn't acknowledged her.

"Jackie," Mickey said offhandedly.

Instead of maintaining her annoyance, Jackie just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. She knew very well that Mickey was there to drag Eva away. She had to admit she'd been slightly jealous the first time Eva went out to the pub with Mickey. Without her. That being said, like Eva, she'd realised things had changed. Things were different.

"Was talkin' to Frank, you know Frank at the shop?" Micky looked really pleased with himself.

Eva nodded. Mickey had introduced her to his boss at the repair shop, during the game the other night. She had mentioned looking for a job.

"He's lookin' for someone for the office. He asked if you were still lookin' and I told him I thought you were. You interested?"

"He knows about my situation, right? Don't have any ID yet." Eva had told him that her purse had been stolen when she'd arrived, and there'd been some problem getting her new identification due to being out of the country for so long.

"Yeah, not a problem. Works better for him that way. No benefits or nothin' obviously, but it's somthin'.

Eva looked to Jackie, and both ladies grinned. Eva looked back to Mickey, "Tell him I'll take it!"

"Already told him." Mickey winked at her and gave her a cheesy grin.

Eva laughed. He was just like his mum. "When do I start then?"

"Tomorrow. 7:00 A.M."

Eva groaned. She hated mornings; however, it was better than working at the cleaners. The idea of folding some stranger's knickers was enough to put her off.

"7:00 it is then."

* * *

"Ready to go?" Mickey called out for Eva as he finished washing up his hands. The others had gone for the day and left Mickey, the junior mechanic, to clean up shop. Eva often stayed behind to help, which he appreciated. It was done much more quickly, and he'd found Eva to be good company. She wasn't Rose, but Eva didn't seem to mind. In fact, Eva seemed thrilled any time he brought the subject of Rose up.

"I was thinking…" he began but stopped short when he saw Eva standing over the BMW he'd been working on for the last eight hours, a pair of wire cutters and electrical tape in her hands. "What do you think you're doin'?" Mickey rushed over to Eva and grabbed the tools from her hands.

"Hey!" She complained and rubbed her hands. He'd been somewhat rough.

"What did you do?" He tossed the tools to the side and frantically looked around the dash. He'd been working on the electronics on the BMW all morning without any success. He hated this particular car. It had been in and out of the shop over the last three years. The owner fancied himself both a computer genius and an expert mechanic and kept trying to fix things himself. He only made matters worse.

Eva looked down at the electronics and paled. "I don't know," she whispered. "It just seemed. It made sense that-"

"What do you mean you don't know?" Frank would kill him if she messed this up.

He was surprised to see everything looked so neat and tidy. Numerous wires appeared to have been trimmed and put together in an orderly fashion; however, it was still impossible to determine what exactly she'd done. He looked around the work area and found numerous wire cuttings. It was like she'd given the electronics a trim.

His eyes flew to hers, "What did you do?"

"I… I…" She gestured to the book Mickey had been using. "I was just having a look and well… and that…" she gestured to the vehicle.

Mickey grabbed the keys and hooked the electronics up to the computer to see what she'd done. To see if he'd have a job tomorrow. He was surprised when it started right up. He'd intended on just looking at the computer's readings. After all, the car hadn't started before. He was sure they'd need to order new electronics. Expensive electronics. He jumped out of the car and began looking at the results from the readings of the vehicle's computer and blinked. It worked. It was fixed. Perfectly. He looked up at her. "How did you do that? You didn't say anythin' about you working on cars."

Eva shook her head and backed away from the vehicle.

"Eva?" Mickey asked when she didn't answer. Upon noticing the confused expression on her face, he grew concerned. "Are you ok then?"

Eva looked up at him, a slightly dazed expression on her face. "Mickey… I've never… No idea…" She walked over to the book and quickly flipped through the pages. Mickey watched her every move, the look of astonishment on his face melted into a frown. Clearly, something wasn't right.

Eva crossed the space between the work table and the BMW and glanced down at the electronics. She looked up at Mickey. "I've never done anything like that… I'm rubbish at cars. Gave my professor a hand now, but nothin' on my own. I… it was all… mostly all… theory." She glanced down at the wiring she'd done. "I suppose a bit of wiring is a bit of wiring," she mumbled, "and the directions were… well…" She glanced back at the large book on the worktable.

"You studied mechanics?" he asked.

Eva shook her head.

"Electronics or something?" He questioned once more.

Eva shook her head. "No, just did a bit of work for one of the professors for some extra money you know. He taught library science."

Mickey scrunched up his nose. "What would a librarian have to do with workin' with electronics, mechanics and stuff?"

Eva rolled her eyes. "Just because he taught library sciences didn't mean he didn't do anything else. He knew all sorts of stuff." She smiled softly as a fond memory of her professor came to mind. "I remember one time he took apart the library copy machine, trying to make it faster and all. It copied faster all right. Nearly frightened old Mrs March to death when papers started shooting out at lightning speed. He hadn't quite finished modifying the paper collector at the time."

The visual caused Mickey to laugh momentarily forgetting the BMW. After a few moments, he wondered over to the auto repair manual. He frowned. It was opened to the German translation. He flipped through a few of the pages, examining the pictures. Perhaps he'd missed something because of bad translation? He turned to her. "You read German?"

"What?" Eva looked at him. Why would he think she could read German?

He held up the book. "It's written in German."

"What?" It couldn't be.

He shook the manual in emphasis. Eva walked over to see what he was talking about and frowned. Sure enough, "It's German."

Mickey watched as she ran her hands down her face. "It can't be…" She mumbled. "I… he said… that Doctor said-"

"You know the Doctor!" Mickey hadn't missed that. He grasped her by the shoulders. "How do you know the Doctor!"

Eva studied the man before her. "I… You know him?" She blinked. "Of course, you know him." He was Rose's boyfriend after all.

Mickey's eyes widened as he suddenly realised something. "Ohhhh…" Mickey began to back away from her. "Oh no, no, no." He shook his finger at her. "You know the Doctor." He let out a slightly manic laugh. "You know my mum! You're all chummy with Jackie." He continued to back up and waggled his finger at her. He paused and then took a step forward once more. His shocked expression quickly lightened as though he'd discovered some great secret. In truth he had. "Ha!" He stalked towards her once more. He was clearly pleased with himself for having figured it out. "You're Eva." He pointed at her in emphasis. "You're not her daughter. You're _her_. You're Rose's dad's sister." He quickly turned away and then looked back at her. "I should have known with that alien around. Suddenly Rose's long-lost cousin appears from nowhere, looking just like Eva Tyler." He shook his head, and his expression morphed into one of annoyance. "Oh, that is typical."

Eva wasn't quite sure how to respond so she just nodded. After all, it would be silly to deny it.

"That's why you don't have any identification!" Mickey continued with his revelation.

Eva nodded.

"Wow." Mickey stepped forward and studied her, making Eva feel slightly uncomfortable, especially when his brow began to narrow. "What do you mean you don't speak German? And, how do you know the Doctor? Were you travelling with him or something? Does he like get a kick out of picking up Tylers?"

Eva rolled her eyes and sank down onto a nearby stool. "He was there when I arrived. Never met him before."

Mickey looked sceptical. "So how did you end up in the future if you weren't travelling with him then?"

Eva shook her head. "Some sort of alien statues or something… they were these aliens… they were like angel statues. I'd been visiting my mum and dad at Willow Hills."

Mickey shuttered. He hated cemeteries and had always found any sort of cemetery statue creepy.

"It touched me… the Doctor said they send people into the past… feeding off their life energy or somethin'."

Mickey's eyes widened. Was something going to happen to Eva? His concern quickly turned to one of confusion. "But you're here. You're in the future?"

Eva nodded. "It went all wrong apparently."

Mickey wasn't surprised. A lot of things seemed to go wrong whenever the Doctor was around. When his gaze fell upon the BMW, his frown returned. Her being tossed into the future by some alien statue didn't explain how she could suddenly read German or how she'd been able to repair the computer in the BMW in just a few minutes. "How does that explain the German?"

Eva tensed. She didn't understand it herself. Not really. In truth, she hadn't even noticed any change… until now. Had something changed and she hadn't noticed it? She looked at Mickey and tried to explain as best as she could. "Something happened to the statue. Somehow, I did something to the angel. Instead of it sending me into the past, I got sent into the future… and it died. Whatever happened… it killed it… but… well… I apparently absorbed all its energy instead of the other way around."

Mickey grimaced and instinctively drew away from her. Eva tried not to let his action affect her; however, she couldn't feel a bit of hurt.

"And the German?" Mickey asked again as he shifted in his chair.

"Apparently it changed my brain a bit… the Doctor said I might have a bit of increased cognition… but I'm not sure how that would allow me to suddenly read German."

Mickey nodded, though he really didn't know what to think. He watched as Eva stood and walked over to where the BMW manual was. She ran her fingers over the page.

"I can see its German… now. It's obvious. But…" She turned to look at Mickey, "I'm sure… I thought… it was written in English."

Mickey studied her and sighed. She didn't look like she was in danger… and if she suddenly had some sort of super brain, that wasn't so bad. "You know, I'm not going to even try to understand it anymore. Can't understand anything when it comes to the Doctor.

"Yeah. I'm beginning to see that."

* * *

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Eva groaned, rolled over, and tried to block out the sound.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

She doubted it was for her. Jackie wouldn't knock on her own door, and from what she remembered, Mickey had plans with some of his mates.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Apparently, whoever it was, wasn't going away. Eva groaned once more and stumbled out of bed, a scowl on her face. It was her day off, and she had plans for a nice lie-in. She pulled on her dressing gown with more force than was needed and headed for the door. She supposed it could have been one of Jackie's friends. She hoped it wasn't Mickey's mum. She hadn't dared to face Sara or any of her former friends.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"I'm coming!" Eva shouted just before pulling open the door and forcing a more pleasant expression on her face.

It was Mickey. Her scowl returned for a moment before she sighed in defeat. She pulled open the door and gestured for him to enter.

He smiled cheerily at her, looking far too happy at the moment.

"What?" She complained as she sank into the settee.

Instead of answering he tossed her a manila envelope. His smile brightened much to her annoyance.

She studied the envelope for a moment and then unfasted the little clasp. "What's got you so pleased with yourself?"

She pulled out an official looking paper. Her eyes widened when she read it. "It's a birth certificate."

Mickey grinned.

She dug back into the envelope and pulled out an ID and passport. "How?" She examined them closely. They looked so real. So official.

"I may not have gone to some fancy school, but I know my way around computers."

Eva grinned. "Except for a little computer in a BMW."

Mickey just rolled his eyes and sat down next to her. He picked up the passport and examined it for himself.

"Really?" Eva asked him as she flipped through the well-used passport. Apparently, her new identity had done quite a bit of travelling. And Cambridge. He'd somehow gotten her transcripts from Cambridge as well. "How did you do this?" She held up the pile of documents.

"Just a bit of hacking."

Eva's eyes widened.

"No!"

"Yeah." He looked extremely pleased with himself. "The Doctor gave me the passwords to UNIT awhile back. They hadn't changed them if you'll believe it." Mickey rolled his eyes at this.

Eva had no idea what UNIT was; however, at this point, she didn't care.

"I was able to get through them and to some government agencies." Mickey continued to explain. He then pointed to one of the documents. "You even have your own personal account number."

Eva was thrilled. She'd begun to get worried that she'd never be able to live a _real_ life again: go to school, get a job where she'd have to pay taxes, not that she was enthused about paying taxes, but she'd get benefits. She'd be able to pay Jackie back. Working at the auto repair shop was fine for now, but it wouldn't support her. Not forever. And, she couldn't count on Rose and the Doctor returning anytime soon. Eva had tried not to worry… but it was difficult. Mickey reminded her that Rose had gone off with the Doctor and didn't return for a year because the alien's piloting skills were rubbish. Rather ironic really, a Time Lord, or whatever he was, unable to be on time. When she'd first heard the story, she'd been amused. She wasn't so amused now. She knew the Tardis had needed repairs. What if the damage was worse than the Doctor thought. What if they were lost? What if they didn't come back for years? What if something happened? What if they never came back? Eva didn't like to even consider that thought, but it was impossible not to worry. She looked down at the pile of identification documents in her lap. She supposed she couldn't worry on forever. Mickey had given her the means of re-establishing her life. Now it was just a matter of moving forward.

* * *

Jackie hadn't been pleased when Eva told her that she was returning to Cambridge. "I'll just be an hour or so by train Jacks. I'll come back on the weekends." In truth, Mickey had been disappointed as well; however, he knew part of the reason he'd went ahead and hacked the Cambridge academic system was so that Eva could do just that. Return to school. Begin rebuilding her old life.

Eva had expected to return to school with very little concern that she'd be recognised. After all, she'd only attended for two terms and most of her professors had been rather ancient. To say Eva was shocked when she walked into her History of Ancient Archives class was an understatement. There he was, just as he had been over 20 years ago, Professor Chronotis. In fact, had her classmates' desks not been topped with laptop computers and other digital devices, she'd have sworn she'd awakened from some strange dream. He looked the same; like he hadn't aged a day. Unsure what to do, Eva turned and was about to leave when his familiar voice stopped her in her mid-step.

"Welcome back Miss. Tyler. It seems you have a lot to catch up on."


	10. Doorknobs and Mint Tea

"Right then Rose Tyler," The Doctor grinned at her as he flew around the console, readying the TARDIS for rematerialisation. "The Cardiff Rift. December 26th 2006!." He slammed his hand down on a purple button, jumped away from the controls, and then flung his arms out wide.

"You think you're so impressive," Rose teased, reminiscent of their first adventure in time together.

"I am so impressive," the Doctor crossed his arms over his chest, attempting to look affronted.

Rose rolled her eyes and shook her finger at him, "Oh, no. No. That doesn't work for ya'. Not in that face." She nodded towards him.

The Doctor grinned and gave a quick nod, "Quite right too. All grumpy, grump, grump, he was when I was him. Though," he amended, "you should have met my first self. Look up the meaning of grump, and you'll see it in black and white." He grimaced and pulled on his tie. "With that floppy-wappy ribbon cravat tie thingy."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Really? Grumpy, grump? "Floppy-wappy?"

The new Doctor just grinned wider and then rushed down the ramp. "Cardiff!" He flung the doors open and rushed out.

"No doubt… not at all," Rose murmured with a soft smile as she slowly followed behind the Doctor. Her Doctor.

The Doctor suddenly reappeared. "Come on then!" He rushed up the ramp, grasped onto her hand, and pulled her from the TARDIS. "Let's go have a wonder." He slammed the doors behind them.

"So where to then?" Rose asked as they looked around the square.

"Just a wonder. Good old Cardiff, bound to have some excitement. Time rifts draw all sorts of trouble you know."

"Is that what draws it?" Rose asked. "And here I thought it was just you."

"Well there is that," he grinned, "but that's just because I'm always at the right place at the right time. It's a Time Lord thing. Mixed about in the biology." He drew a squiggle on his chest with his free hand.

"Oh really, so it was necessary to be twelve months late then?"

"Well, if you think on it," he leaned against the TARDIS, "we were just in time, in just the right location to stop the Slitheen family."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Right. And we couldn't have just skipped ahead after we'd checked in with my mum?"

"That's where you're wrong Rose," the Doctor responded, his face quite serious. "Had it been twelve hours," the Doctor took a step towards her, "it's possible that time would have been disrupted and we wouldn't have been drawn to witness that crash landing. One little blip Rose, one little turn out of place can change all of future history. Sometimes the TARDIS knows best." He fondly tapped the side of the blue box.

"The TARDIS then... what happened to Time Lord biology?" Rose teased.

The Doctor just ignored her. "I had those coordinates right," He leaned against the TARDIS once more and shoved his hands in his pockets, "but at some point, through the time vortex, we crossed a thin timeline, as delicate as a spider web. We touched that spiderweb Rose, and with that touch," he drew out one of his hands and tapped her on the shoulder, "we were pulled off course. A new timeline was established at that extremely fragile moment in time."

"Well if time's so fragile, what about all those times we've gone mucking about?" Rose asked, raising her brow.

"Well," the Doctor shifted where he stood, "that's different."

"Really?" Rose was sceptical.

"Really." The Doctor nodded. "Now," He pulled on her arm. "Let's go explore. How about a tour of Cardiff Castle? Ever been there before?" he asked as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Nope. I skipped class on the day of the field trip. Went to see Jimmy Stone." It was clear from her expression it wasn't a fond memory.

The Doctor frowned.

"Wish I'd gone with them now," Rose continued, "all I did was sit around Jimmy's flat watching him get drunk and write rubbish music." She rolled her eyes at her past self.

"Well then, we'll go take a look and after the TARDIS finishes refuelling, hop back and take a tour the past."

Rose smiled. That did sound fun. They'd never gone to a historical castle.

The Doctor grinned and grasped her hand. "I say let's be proper tourists. Cardiff Castle!" He grinned, "Maybe get one of those self-guided headsets this time."

"This time? Why not a real guide?" Rose asked.

"Got thrown out last time, kept correcting the tour guide."

Rose laughed. "Sounds about right." She squeezed his hand back. "Right then. Cardiff Castle by audio tour!"

* * *

Eva stood outside of Professor Chronotis' office staring at the doorknob. There wasn't anything particularly fascinating about it. In fact, it was like every other doorknob up and down that wing of the building, tarnished but for the smooth circler ring where it had been polished by the hands of hundreds, possibly thousands, of students and professors over the years. She shifted slightly and stretched her fingers. In truth, she was afraid to turn the knob. It was silly really. She'd turned that very knob on countless occasions. After all, it wasn't uncommon for the professor to ask her to meet him in his office after class. In fact, it had only been a few months ago… well… give or take a few decades. It was just a doorknob. She tightened her jaw, stepped forward, raised her hand… Then, just as her fingers touched the cool brass…

"Ah Miss Tyler!"

Eva jumped and spun around at the sound of the professor's voice. There he was… Professor Chronotis. She couldn't help but let the corner of her mouth twitch slightly as she observed the ridiculously tall pile of books balance precariously in his arms. As it wobbled, she hurried to assist him.

"Oh thank you, dear," the old man chuckled. "Picked up a few at an estate sale just this weekend."

Eva's face softened further, and the tension that she'd held in her body seemed to dissipate. Despite how strange the situation was, it was comforting to be standing here, helping Chronotis deliver another pile of books to his ever-expanding collection. She didn't doubt for a moment that he already had copies of these very books somewhere piled in his office. He seemed to have at least one copy of every book she'd ever heard of. It was uncanny how he seemed to know exactly what she was looking for. The only problem was, it often took him a rather long time to find anything in his office.

Relieved of some of the load, the professor reached for the brass doorknob and pushed the door open. "Come on then, let's sit down and have a little chat. Perhaps a pot of tea?"

Eva nodded absentmindedly as she weaved her way around tall stacks of books and papers. It was so strange. It looked exactly as it had back in 1986. She watched as the professor set his stack of books on a tower already three feet tall. It wobbled slightly and then settled as the professor pointed to it as though commanding it to behave. Eva set the books she'd been carrying down next to the tower, beginning a new mountain that would inevitably be buried in more books by the end of the week.

Eva's attention was drawn back to the professor as he asked, "Mint if I remember?" She nodded after his retreating back and then continued her perusal.

"Miss Tyler?"

"Oh…" She quickly realised that he wouldn't have seen her nod. "Yes, please. If it's not too much trouble."

"No… not at all! Perfectly fine!" Eva couldn't help but notice a rather eager tone in the professor's voice. For some reason, he seemed thrilled at the prospect of mint tea. "Odd," Eva mumbled. She didn't recall the professor being particularly fond of the herbal tea. Though, this was Professor Chronotis. Who knew what was going through his head. She turned her focus back to the office. As though on instinct, she found herself hovering over the small settee that she usually occupied when in his office. She narrowed her brow at the side table. "What?" She reached down and picked up a silver pen wrapped in a purple hair tie. It was her pen, the Parker pen that she'd left in the professor's office before she'd returned to London for Pete and Jackie's wedding. She rolled it between her fingers as though trying to verify that it was real. She couldn't help but laugh. She'd actually been worried when she realised she'd left it in his office. Who knew where it would be when she'd returned… but here it was… her Parker, just where she'd left it. Twenty… twenty years ago. She sank down onto the settee and let out a soft laugh. She supposed finding her pen where she'd left it was nothing when compared to the angel statue and that Doctor alien. She dropped the pen into her purse.

After making herself comfortable, her attention was drawn to the professor who was now carrying a large tea tray on which sat a tea set and a rather large pile of biscuits. "How are you here?" She asked him. It just didn't make sense that he was still alive. Well, she supposed it was possible… but still at the school? Still the same?

The professor gave no indication that he'd heard her. "I've got something special for you," he said as he put the tea tray down on a pile of faded encyclopedias. I've been saving it up for a special occasion." He smiled up at her and gave her a wink. "And considering you just happen to like mint tea… I think it's just the thing."

Eva studied the old man as he arranged biscuits on two small plates. After a bit, she pointed to the side table. "My pen was there."

Again, he didn't respond. It was then Eva noticed a familiar pile of notes. Her eyes widened. "And that's… those are my notes for my essay."

"Yes… yes…" the professor held out a cup of tea to her. She took it on instinct. "It is a bit late, isn't it. I'm sure if I have a word with your professor…"

Eva's eyes widened. "Professor Collins is still teaching?" She looked at Chronotis as though he'd gone mad. He shook his head. "Of course not. What a ridiculous notion." He nodded towards her to emphasise his point. "She was seventy-two you know. Ripe age for retirement."

"But… Seventy-two? How can…"

"Oh yes, lovely young woman," Chronotis interrupted, "retired not long after you left." He frowned and shook his head. "Passed away I hear… just a few years ago at the young age of ninety." He shrugged. "I suppose that's quite reasonable… considering."

 _Considering?_ Eva watched as he took a sip of his tea. She glanced down at her cup and paused. She was extremely confused. "It's red!" It reminded her of the colour of a hibiscus tea she once had. She sniffed the air above the cup. It smelled like mint. She looked up at the professor and nearly dropped her teacup as she let out a rather childish giggle. There he was, Professor Chronotis, the edge of his moustache tinted red from the tea. "Where on earth did you get red mint tea?"

The Professor added some honey to his. "Oh… no… can't get it around here. Had it delivered by a nice young man who visited me a while back. Had to get it from the Skadi Mountains you know."

 _Skadi Mountains?_ Eva couldn't recall ever hearing of the Skadi Mountains. _Somewhere in Scandinavia maybe?_

It was specially grown at the frost line." He then clarified. "Not that rubbish they're using for disposable toothbrushes I tell you." Noticing she was staring sceptically at her tea, he urged her, "Go on… go on.."

Eva took a hesitant sip, careful to not to let it pass the edges of her lips. Red lips were one thing, the last thing she needed was to have a red stained moustache of her own. She had plenty of those from drinking punch as a child. She smacked her lips together as she savoured the taste. She looked up to the professor and smiled. "It's wonderful! It was by far the best mint tea she'd ever had. She took a larger sip.

Having made progress on her tea, Eva repeated her question from earlier, "How are you here Professor? Not that I'm not happy to see you… I really am… but as you said, Professor Collins was seventy-two." She shifted in her seat and then added, "And you… well, I thought… I understood… well, you've been at the school for ages."

"Oh, no dear." Professor Chronotis denied.

Eva frowned. She was sure he'd been older than Collins back then and had been teaching for a good number of years. What was he on about?

"Not nearly." The professor took another sip of his tea and then added. "Only nearing a hundred and twenty years by now I should say."

Eva nearly choked on her tea. "What!"

He winked at her. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Eva, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

"Hundred and twenty… You've… Shakespeare? You're quoting… Shakespeare?" Eva set her teacup down on a pile of dog-eared paperbacks.

"Rather brilliant for a human, though a bit mad." He sat back as though reminiscing about fond memories. "Though the brilliant ones often are you know. He took a sip of his cup before lifting it in the air in salud, "And quick. Couldn't fool him at all. Though, he had a run-in with that young friend of mine." He leaned forward. "I believe you may have met him." He nodded towards her neck.

Eva's eyes widened. "The Doctor! You… you know that… You're like him!" It was a rather obvious conclusion. How else had he been teaching at Cambridge so long? "You're an alien too?" Eva stood abruptly, her heart racing. _Aliens. Aliens were everywhere._

"Well, I wouldn't say that. Been here over 300 years give or take. I should think that would constitute as having naturalised by now."

"But, I mean… you're not human!" She pointed at him accusingly. "You can't be!"

"Well of course not." He waved a hand at her as though dismissing the silly notion of being considered human. "And put your hand down." He frowned at her. "That's rather rude you know. And sit down. You haven't finished your tea."

Eva gulped. "Right." She sat down. "Sorry." As though directed by his words, she took a sip of her tea.

There was silence between the two of them as Eva studied the contents of her tea. Red tea from the Skadi Mountains. "So it's alien then… this tea." She looked up to him.

The professor relaxed once more and grinned. "Oh yes. The best Venusian spearmint."

"Venusian… as in Venus."

"Quite right."

But I thought… She frowned… I thought Venus was all volcanic and burning. You said frost line?"

"It wasn't always like that you know young woman. Venus was once a quite beautiful planet," He looked off into the distance as though remembering, "with beautiful oceans and glacier-capped mountains."

"So people lived there? Real people?"

The professor nodded. "Oh yes. Very much like you, I should say. Venus isn't called Earth's sister planet for no reason." He nodded to her.

"They? You imply they're still out there?" Eva took another sip of her tea.

"Oh no, not there. They had to migrate after the Cytherian invasion," Chronotis stated as though Eva should have already known this. He shook his head with a frown on his face. "Those Cytherians... all that pollution, couldn't get Venusian mint after that." He sighed. "Now... the Venusians... well, they've been here so long I doubt you could tell the difference. Though," He hiked his arms out and lifted slightly in his seat, "They were much bulkier than a normal human when they first arrived, quite tall. Never met a pure Venusian under 6ft tall. And that's on the short side." He then pursud his lips in thought, his red moustache lifting in emphasis. "I seem to recall most of them settled in the northern regions of Scandinavia." He nodded as though to validate his thoughts. "A few travelled to what you'd call Greece. Had a penchant for adventure, all of them.

It was then it hit her. "Skadi… Skadi Mountains as in the Norse giant goddess Skadi?"

"Quite right. Skadi was a bit of a cold one and rather brusque. She was quite put out you know, being displaced. Had a really nice hunting lodge in those Venusian mountains and had to leave it behind and start over. She wasn't pleased at all."

"So they were real then? Those myths and things?" Eva asked.

"Oh some of them are quite real; however, you humans have a penchant for exaggeration."

Eva couldn't help but acknowledge it was true. And, it made sense that the myths were based upon some truth.

Professor Chronotis studied her for a moment. "You know, you look rather Venusian." He pointed to his eyes, which were also blue, and then used his hand as to distantly run it over her golden, strawberry blond hair.

"Oh… well, ah… my mum's side is from Denmark, and my dad's father did come from Sweden." She then asked, leaning forward slightly, her eyes wide, "Do you think I've got alien blood in me then?"

"No doubt you do."

* * *

Note: For those interested, I've posted a one-shot story called "Where you tend a rose..." If there is interest, the story will eventually become a full-length work after I finish Angel Weeps No More.


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